upon even terms, unless I am as candid as
yourself. Tiddijohn, you love my daughter'

"I started from my chair.

"' General!—Sir Sampson!—your daughter?
—So wild—so presumptuous a hope—'

"' Would be perfectly natural,' interrupted
the general, coolly. ' Sit down, my boy. The
claret is with you.'

"I sat down, as if in a dream.

: ' But, sir—I—I thought the dook—'

"'The dook be hanged,' said the general
' Never shall he marry child of mine. If there
be one quality in the youthful character more
revolting than another, it is parsimony. Give
me waste, give me extravagance, but spare me
avarice! Tiddijohn, I will let you into a family
secret. It will, of course, go no further.
Yourself, the dook, Gloriana, and I—we four—alone
possess that secret. The necessity of surrounding
my beloved child with all the luxuries her station,
her beauty, her grace and accomplishments
imperatively demand, has involved me in considerable
pecuniary difficulty. As a condition of her
marriage with the dook, I was compelled to
stipulate that a certain sum—a trifle to him, but
of some importance to a mere old soldier like
me—fifteen thousand pounds, should be devoted
to the payment of debts, chiefly (bear in mind)
incurred for his future wife. His grace refused.
The match was thereupon formally broken off;
but, to satisfy my child that I had done all that
an affectionate parent could, I informed his grace
that a cover would be laid for him as usual at
my table for a certain period, and that his
appearance within that time might intimate
acceptance of my terms. This very day the limit
has expired. Gloriaua is free. Do you
understand me? Free?

"For the moment, I hardly did understand him.
As my thoughts disentangled themselves, I began
to discover that the freedom of Gloriana was a
first step in the direction of my desires. The
second appeared to be a cheque on my bankers
for fifteen thousand pounds. That might be
managed. What was it in comparison with her?
The next step presented the real difficulty. How
was she to be won? With other cheques? Hout
on the thought!

"'I have said enough,' resumed Sir Sampson,
'to show you, Tiddijohn, that, supposing my
conjecture to be correct, you will have no
opposition to fear from me, provided my little
stipulation be met in a corresponding spirit of
candour and liberality. To own the truth, I fear
you may encounter a more serious obstacle in
the young lady. The dook had some fascinating
qualities, and—But courage. Try your luck.
You have my best wishes, and always my good
word. But for twenty times the little advantage
I shall reap by it, I would not force the inclinations
of my child.'

"I could not wish those words unsaid. And
yet they sounded like the death-warrant of my
hopes. 'Try my luck!' I? With a woman who
had refused more offers (so Prosser had assured
me) than she was years old! I had almost made
up my mind to own that I had not courage
enough for such an attempt, when the general
observed:

' ' I comprehend your modest doubts, my
good friend; but, I think I see a way'...
He paused a moment. 'Yes—it might answer.
Would you mind my kicking you downstairs?'

"' Sir!' I exclaimed, thinking he was mad.

"' Or pitching you out of the window? It's
quite low.'

"' I don't understand you, Sir Sampson.'

"'At all events, you will allow me to make
use of any terms I please? Come, you won't
mind that' said the general, cheerfully. ' This
is our plan, you see. Gloriana has in her
character a strong spice of romance. If she found
that, owing to your addresses being unacceptable
to me, I treated you with unmerited harshness,
all the feelings of her generous nature would be
at once enlisted in your favour. The more I
raged and stormed, the more she would soothe
and appeal. An interest once excited in her,
who can say to what it might not grow? Eh,
what say you?'

"Bewildered with the suddenness of the
proposal, dazzled with the hope of winning, by
any means, that exquisite treasure, I somehow
consented, before I well knew what I was
doing.

"' Strike while the iron's hot,' I remember Sir
Sampson saying. ' But, first, one more glass to
our success.' And he poured out two glasses of
something that tasted to me like liquid fire.
It gave me courage, however, and, at the general's
suggestion, I marched into the drawing-room
alone, determined to stake my fate upon a single
throw. Gloriana was sitting at a small table at
the far end of the superb room, the light of a
reading-lamp falling upon her queen-like face,
and glistening on the golden spikes of the wreath
she wore.

"I remember making three or four strides
towards her, and then falling, in a sort of lump,
on the floor. I remember uttering a wild rhapsody
of prayers, vows, and protestations. I
remember Miss Caliver rising, with an expression
of unfeigned alarm, and making for the bell.
That, being embarrassed by my prostrate body,
she paused, and that I took advantage of that
fortuitous circumstance to grasp the skirt of
her train, and renew my vows. That, thereupon,
she screamed aloud. That the general burst
into the room, and, without hesitation, collared
me on the spot, branding me as ' drunken clown,'
' insolent beggar,' &c., and upbraiding me with
this base return for the kindness and hospitality
I had received.

"' You—you—a bag fellow a dealer in
soapsuds presume to love my daughter? Out of
my house, miscreant, or—'

"Patience, papa—dear papa!' said my
beautiful mistress, interposing. 'He meant
no harm. Oh, let him go! See how pale