he looks! And he only frightened me a very
little!'

"'How!' roared the foaming general. ' You
plead for him? Minion! You—you care for
him?'

"' No, no!' exclaimed my beloved. ' I hate
him!'

"'Then here goes!' shouted the general.
And he threw up the window. Gloriana
shrieked, and cast herself between us.

"' Papa, papa, this is cruel and wicked! You
shall not harm this gentleman—if he be one. I
will protect him with my life!'

"'So, so,' began Sir Sampson. But by
this time I had regained my scattered senses.
I rose.

"' Stop, if you please,' I said, with a voice
so calm that it really sounded, to myself, as
if somebody else was speaking. 'Let me put
an end to this. Madam, I trust you will pardon
a gentleman—if he be one—for having for an
instant, in his humble but honest adoration,
forgotten the reserve due to your feelings and his
own. Sir Sampson, will you favour me with a
moment's conversation elsewhere?'

"I bowed to Gloriana, and the general, looking
rather disturbed, led the way to his study.

"' Well, my dear fellow,' he began, as soon
as the door was closed, 'what's the matter?
All was going smoothly enough. You noticed
how she came round?'

"' I noticed one thing, sir, which seems to
have escaped you' I answered. ' Miss Caliver
announced that she hated me—'hate' was the
word. I love her; and not a whit the less for
her honest declaration; but I no longer seek
her hand. For her sake, I shall go unmarried
to the grave. Sir Sampson, I owe you something
for your intended good offices. It was
my declared purpose to bequeath my whole
fortune to the second son of your daughter's
marriage with the dook. If I apportion fifteen
thousand of that fortune to meet the pressing
needs of her father, I shall but be anticipating,
by so much, the benefit I intended for her and
hers. Accept it freely, and if it smoothe the way
to a renewal of the ducal match, I—I shall
endeavour—to—to rejoi—'

"The general caught my hand. He was much
agitated, and I saw that a powerful struggle was
in progress between his better feelings and
his need.

"You are a generous fellow, Tiddijohn,' he
said, at length, 'and I regret .... Well,
well, my good friend, I accept your noble offer."
And the poor general hung his head as the last
words died on his lips.

"Well, sir, you may suppose that this exciting
scene told severely on my spirits. Foreign
travel was recommended, and I returned to
Bullone, determined—not to forget Gloriana: that
was impossible—but to think of her as little as
I could, and never to look at an English paper
if I could help it, especially that part of it which
expresses the editor's pleasure at the impending
marriage of two exalted personages he never
saw in his life, and who don't care twopence
about him.

"Six months had passed, when, as I was
one day walking on the quay, there landed,
from the Folkestone steamer, a party that
attracted my attention. It consisted of two ladies
in deep mourning, a distinguished-looking gent,
with uncommon fine beard and moustaches (who
seemed very attentive to the younger lady, and
carried her shawls and little bag), and a maid-
servant. As they passed me, the young lady's
veil blew aside. GLORIANA!

"I staggered back out of the way, but our
eyes had met. She stopped short with an
expression of joy, and stepped hastily towards me,
holding out both her little hands.

"' Dear Mr. Tiddijohn, this is, indeed, fortunate!
Aunt, let me present you to this kind
friend of—of my poor—' She burst into
tears.

"Her aunt came to the rescue, and in a few
moments I was made aware that the general
had died suddenly a short time since, leaving
among his papers a memorandum recording his
transaction with me; his earnest gratitude for
what he termed my generosity; and his deep
regret that all his subsequent endeavours to trace
me out had failed.

"' You will come and see us, dear good friend,'
said Gloriana, smiling through her tears. ' Here
is our address in Paris. Come soon.'

'"If—if the dook has no objection,' I stammered,
glancing at the male member of the
party, who had been a silent, and, as I thought,
a stern and gloomy witness of the scene.

"'The dook!' exclaimed Gloriana.

"' This gentleman '

"'Hush, dear Mr. Tiddijohn. That is our
German courier, Adolf Krauss!'

"' Ho,' said I. ' Then I will come to Paris.'

"And so I did. And here is Cowes, but
there is time, sir, to present you to my wife.
My love, my .... Glory, let me introduce to
you my friend, Mr.—- Humph! our fellow-
traveller."

       Now ready, in One Volume, post 8vo,
          AUNT MARGARET'S TROUBLE
London: CHAPMAN and HALL, 193, Piccadilly.