accoutrements, as here reproduced, was an
inexhaustible source of delight to the officers. It
never palled, and it was customary to refer to it
as a standard for other works of Art. But the
general had the silver soldiers under inspection,
and pronounced, sharply, that the belt of "that
fellow on the right" might have tightened by
another "hole," which critical bon-mot soon
trickled down the whole table, and was greatly
admired.

As they were sitting down, Captain Fermor
came in hurriedly, and found there was but one
little gap near the bottom of the table, into
which he dropped. One flank of the gap was
red, the other black, and just as he sat down,
and waiter hands had pushed in his chair from
behind, he found that the black civilian patch
resolved itself into "that cad of a fellow,"
Hanbury!

The mere contagion of the thing was not so
much; for once, he could have put up with this
sort of society. But the awkwardness was here:
"this fellow" was sure "to fasten" an
acquaintance on him, "what, positively," as he
declared afterwards, "he had been struggling
with all his power to fence off," but which he
knew all the time—he had a presentiment, in
fact—would come about.

Honest John Hanbury's face actually lit up
when he saw who was his companion. He was
delighted, for he was of the line of Uncle Toby.

"Captain Fermor," he said, at once, "we
ought to know each other. It is so droll meeting
and passing each other in that sort of way—
and knowing each other all the time. I am so
glad, in short."

The captain's lip went up. "O, I see. Indeed!"

The other assumed that there was corresponding
joy at this pleasant dinner consanguinity.
"Yes," he went on, "the very thing I was
wishing for, and all brought about so naturally
—without trouble. Do you know, fifty times I
have been on the point of walking up to you and
saying, 'Captain Fermor, let me introduce
myself.' I should have surprised you, I dare
say."

The captain's eyes first settled on Mr. Hanbury's
drop chain, then travelled up slowly to his
face. "I must say you would," he said; "excuse
me for telling you so frankly;" and Captain
Fermor grew a shade less ill humoured as he
thought how gentlemanly sarcastic he could be
at times. (This was where he was so much
above "our fellows," who put anything offensive
all in the rough and in brute shape.)

Though he had stepped into a social ice-pail,
Hanbury did not begin to feel the freezing as yet.
"We are always talking of you. I should not
betray secrets, but we are. We know you
perfectly, meeting you so constantly—on that wall.
Ha! ha!"

"Very flattering of you and your family to take
such an interest in me—very!"

"Family!" said the other, laughing. "Come,
that is good! Come now! as if you don't know
who I mean."

Anything like rallying came on Fermor like
an east wind. "I really don't understand," he
said, nervously. "I take my walks, and don't
trouble myself with all I meet."

"That's a wonderful horse of yours, Mr.
Hanbury," struck in a young officer from the other
side. "Great quarters!"

Every one broke in here with delight on this
topic. A conversational sluice had been lifted,
and talk poured out. Horse or horsemanship
is the one touch of nature that makes the man
world a kin.

"What would you take for him?" "Good
action?" "Showy?" "Hands high?" "In for
the National?"

Hanbury, a good fellow, put his foot in the
stirrup, mounted, and rode his beast up and
down for them; that is, he told them all details
with fulness and with delight. "Yes," he said,
"I have entered him. I shall ride him myself."

"And win, by Jove!" said Young Brett,
enthusiastically.

"Well," said Hanbury, with an expression of
pleased doubt, "these things are so risky, and
one never knows; but I hope to do respectably.
You have seen him?" he said, turning to Captain
Fermor.

"That horse of yours? Well—yes—I believe
so."

"Of course he has," said Young Brett, with
the same enthusiasm. "And, by Jove, don't he
admire him! He told me so!"

Fermor measured Young Brett as if for the
rack. The look made him penitent on the spot.
"I see so many horses; but I really have not
thought of the matter at all."

"O, but you must see him—see him regularly.
He's worth a study, I can tell you. Let me see
—to-morrow! Yes, I'll ride him down here."

Forsyth, another horse devotee, and pious in
the faith, said, "Come at two, and have lunch."

"Thanks," said Hanbury, very earnest about
his charger. "So I shall. Though, by the
way——" and he started. "No. I can't at two.
I have," he said, confidentially as it were to
Fermor, "to go out with the two girls, you
know. By the way," he added, still in his cloak
of simplicity, "you ought to know them."

"Indeed! ought I?" said he, with an expression
which was meant to be that of "amused
surprise." "Well, granting that, to whom do
you allude, pray?"

("I can play on this fellow," he said to himself,
with satisfaction, "as upon a piano," which
was scarcely a wise conviction, for he could only
"strum" upon the piano, and in human music he
was but an indifferent player.)

"O the Manuels, to be sure," said the Piano,
not seeing that it was being played on. "As I
said, it is so odd, almost so droll, meeting in that
funny way. We have discussed you very often,
I can tell you."

Something like "too much honour," or some