THE DEAR GIRL
BY THE AUTHOR OF "BELLA DONNA," "NEVER FORGOTTEN," &C.
CHAPTER XXIV.  A RAY OF COMFORT

Captain Filby had suffered severely during
the winter from his habitual pains and aches,
and from growing "older every day." His
temper, already much inflamed by tropical service,
was not improved. He did not own to these
acute tortures, having a stoic pride which
disdained to let the world know that he was at
all inferior to the rest of it in strength or years.
But he soothed his sufferings by becoming more
ill natured, more malignant, every hour. Even
to women, to whom he had hitherto maintained
a sort of gruff courtesy, he had grown rude
and odious in his remarks. For this sort of
old creature, withering out of the world, friendless,
cold, dismal, by beating the bars of his
old heart while affections and sympathies are
glowing ruddily about him, it were better
that the Indian fashion obtained, and that he
were carried out to the most convenient
mountain to die from exposure. At all these settlements
we hear now and again of some such old
exile shivering out of life, with the greedy
fingers of the foreign hireling already on the
gold sleeve-links.

It was not yet come to that with Captain
Filby; but his cough was very bad, his clearing
of his throat a herculean hydraulic labour, most
unpleasant to the bystanders, and his limp more
and more conspicuous. His oaths— pointed
with a spasm— were even more alarming. His
stories and scandals were more malicious, and,
it must be said, untruthful, and told with a
savage eagerness to have them accepted. Any
stroke of good fortune, any gleam of happiness
for others, specially roused his envy and venom.

When all the colony was busy with Lucy's
little story—and we may be sure the
expatriated ladies were not slack in venting
any amount of sniffs and head-tossing— Captain
Filby dealt with her with by far the greatest
severity. One day at Mrs. Dalrymple's, his
sufferings having given him a fiendish energy,
he even shocked his hostess, who had great
indulgence for his humours, knowing how he
was racked.

"Don't trust any of the pack here," he said;
"the sham lovers and Lotharios, who are as
genuine as the noblemen that come on the stage.
There's not a half-a-crown among any three of
them; and on washing-day how many of 'em
must lie in bed for particular reasons?"

He saw Lucy looking at him, as she always
did, with an unconcealed repulsion.

"Oh yes! my good young miss. I understand
you. Keep up the little delusion. Leave
my card, and you yours on me. Ask your dear
papa about it, when you go home. He's pretty
well behind the scenes."

Lucy coloured, and drew herself up.

"I shall do nothing of the sort," she said;
"and you have no right to bring his name in,
or to be so free with me or with him."

"Oh! is that the line? The dear papa!
We believe in him to the end, of course. He's
immaculate."

"To me he is," she said, calmly, and, as
Mrs. Dalrymple described it, looking through
the captain, "and that is enough. How kind,
how polite, how becoming of you to slander
him to his daughter!"

"Come now," said the captain, with a
forced laugh," my good Miss Lucy, keep that
for your mamma or for Pringle."

"Neither," went on Lucy, with the same
calm tone and look, but flushing up a great deal,
"do I know of any behaviour on my side that
justified your addressing me so familiarly.
Unless, indeed, the wretched necessity which forces
us to stay here exposing us to freedoms from
those who are mere strangers;" and she swept
away from the room, leaving the amazed Filby
to roll his eyes and mutter:

"Infernal impertinence that, to put up with
from a forward little brat!"

After this rebuff, which Mrs. Dalrymple and
her daughters could not help enjoying a little,
more from amusement at Lucy's spirit than
from any hostility to the captain, we may
conceive he had not the most amiable feelings
towards her. The pains became also much more
acute, and his stories about the young girl
seemed to reflect every pang. He would say:
"A regular intriguing miss as ever was turned
out of a French school. They teach 'em all
those demure faces and innocent tricks at so
much a quarter, like the music. I tell you I
have seen girls all the world over, and that's
as deep and scheming a creature as ever made
up to a parti. It's shocking! But watch a