The little race-course at Hampton was in the full tide and height ofits gaiety; the day as dazzling as day could be; the sun high in thecloudless sky, and shining in its fullest splendour. Every gaudy colourthat fluttered in the air from carriage seat and garish tent top, shoneout in its gaudiest hues. Old dingy flags grew new again, faded gildingwas re-burnished, stained rotten canvas looked a snowy white, the verybeggars' rags were freshened up, and sentiment quite forgot its charityin its fervent admiration of poverty so picturesque.

It was one of those scenes of life and animation, caught in its verybrightest and freshest moments, which can scarcely fail to please;for if the eye be tired of show and glare, or the ear be weary with aceaseless round of noise, the one may repose, turn almost where itwill, on eager, happy, and expectant faces, and the other deadenall consciousness of more annoying sounds in those of mirth andexhilaration. Even the sunburnt faces of gypsy children, half nakedthough they be, suggest a drop of comfort. It is a pleasant thing to seethat the sun has been there; to know that the air and light are on themevery day; to feel that they ARE children, and lead children's lives;that if their pillows be damp, it is with the dews of Heaven, and notwith tears; that the limbs of their girls are free, and that they arenot crippled by distortions, imposing an unnatural and horrible penanceupon their sex; that their lives are spent, from day to day, at leastamong the waving trees, and not in the midst of dreadful engines whichmake young children old before they know what childhood is, and givethem the exhaustion and infirmity of age, without, like age, theprivilege to die. God send that old nursery tales were true, and thatgypsies stole such children by the score!

The great race of the day had just been run; and the close lines ofpeople, on either side of the course, suddenly breaking up and pouringinto it, imparted a new liveliness to the scene, which was again allbusy movement. Some hurried eagerly to catch a glimpse of the winninghorse; others darted to and fro, searching, no less eagerly, for thecarriages they had left in quest of better stations. Here, a little knotgathered round a pea and thimble table to watch the plucking of someunhappy greenhorn; and there, another proprietor with his confederatesin various disguises--one man in spectacles; another, with an eyeglassand a stylish hat; a third, dressed as a farmer well to do in the world,with his top-coat over his arm and his flash notes in a large leathernpocket-book; and all with heavy-handled whips to represent most innocentcountry fellows who had trotted there on horseback--sought, by loud andnoisy talk and pretended play, to entrap some unwary customer, while thegentlemen confederates (of more villainous aspect still, in clean linenand good clothes), betrayed their close interest in the concern bythe anxious furtive glance they cast on all new comers. These would behanging on the outskirts of a wide circle of people assembled round someitinerant juggler, opposed, in his turn, by a noisy band of music,or the classic game of 'Ring the Bull,' while ventriloquists holdingdialogues with wooden dolls, and fortune-telling women smothering thecries of real babies, divided with them, and many more, the generalattention of the company. Drinking-tents were full, glasses began toclink in carriages, hampers to be unpacked, tempting provisions to beset forth, knives and forks to rattle, champagne corks to fly, eyes tobrighten that were not dull before, and pickpockets to count their gainsduring the last heat. The attention so recently strained on one objectof interest, was now divided among a hundred; and look where you would,there was a motley assemblage of feasting, laughing, talking, begging,gambling, and mummery.

Of the gambling-booths there was a plentiful show, flourishing in allthe splendour of carpeted ground, striped hangings, crimson cloth,pinnacled roofs, geranium pots, and livery servants. There were theStranger's club-house, the Athenaeum club-house, the Hampton club-house,the St James's club-house, and half a mile of club-houses to play IN;and there were ROUGE-ET-NOIR, French hazard, and other games to play AT.It is into one of these booths that our story takes its way.

Fitted up with three tables for the purposes of play, and crowded withplayers and lookers on, it was, although the largest place of the kindupon the course, intensely hot, notwithstanding that a portion of thecanvas roof was rolled back to admit more air, and there were two doorsfor a free passage in and out. Excepting one or two men who, each with along roll of half-crowns, chequered with a few stray sovereigns, inhis left hand, staked their money at every roll of the ball with abusiness-like sedateness which showed that they were used to it, and hadbeen playing all day, and most probably all the day before, there wasno very distinctive character about the players, who were chiefly youngmen, apparently attracted by curiosity, or staking small sums as partof the amusement of the day, with no very great interest in winning orlosing. There were two persons present, however, who, as peculiarly goodspecimens of a class, deserve a passing notice.

Of these, one was a man of six or eight and fifty, who sat on a chairnear one of the entrances of the booth, with his hands folded on thetop of his stick, and his chin appearing above them. He was a tall, fat,long-bodied man, buttoned up to the throat in a light green coat, whichmade his body look still longer than it was. He wore, besides, drabbreeches and gaiters, a white neckerchief, and a broad-brimmed whitehat. Amid all the buzzing noise of the games, and the perpetual passingin and out of the people, he seemed perfectly calm and abstracted,without the smallest particle of excitement in his composition. Heexhibited no indication of weariness, nor, to a casual observer, ofinterest either. There he sat, quite still and collected. Sometimes, butvery rarely, he nodded to some passing face, or beckoned to a waiter toobey a call from one of the tables. The next instant he subsided intohis old state. He might have been some profoundly deaf old gentleman,who had come in to take a rest, or he might have been patiently waitingfor a friend, without the least consciousness of anybody's presence, orfixed in a trance, or under the influence of opium. People turned roundand looked at him; he made no gesture, caught nobody's eye, let thempass away, and others come on and be succeeded by others, and took nonotice. When he did move, it seemed wonderful how he could have seenanything to occasion it. And so, in truth, it was. But there was not aface that passed in or out, which this man failed to see; not a gestureat any one of the three tables that was lost upon him; not a word,spoken by the bankers, but reached his ear; not a winner or loser hecould not have marked. And he was the proprietor of the place.

The other presided over the ROUGE-ET-NOIR table. He was probably someten years younger, and was a plump, paunchy, sturdy-looking fellow, withhis under-lip a little pursed, from a habit of counting money inwardlyas he paid it, but with no decidedly bad expression in his face, whichwas rather an honest and jolly one than otherwise. He wore no coat,the weather being hot, and stood behind the table with a huge mound ofcrowns and half-crowns before him, and a cash-box for notes. This gamewas constantly playing. Perhaps twenty people would be staking at thesame time. This man had to roll the ball, to watch the stakes as theywere laid down, to gather them off the colour which lost, to pay thosewho won, to do it all with the utmost dispatch, to roll the ball again,and to keep this game perpetually alive. He did it all with a rapidityabsolutely marvellous; never hesitating, never making a mistake, neverstopping, and never ceasing to repeat such unconnected phrases asthe following, which, partly from habit, and partly to have somethingappropriate and business-like to say, he constantly poured out with thesame monotonous emphasis, and in nearly the same order, all day long:

'Rooge-a-nore from Paris! Gentlemen, make your game and back yourown opinions--any time while the ball rolls--rooge-a-nore from Paris,gentlemen, it's a French game, gentlemen, I brought it over myself, Idid indeed!--Rooge-a-nore from Paris--black wins--black--stop a minute,sir, and I'll pay you, directly--two there, half a pound there, threethere--and one there--gentlemen, the ball's a rolling--any time, sir,while the ball rolls!--The beauty of this game is, that you can doubleyour stakes or put down your money, gentlemen, any time while the ballrolls--black again--black wins--I never saw such a thing--I never did,in all my life, upon my word I never did; if any gentleman hadbeen backing the black in the last five minutes he must have wonfive-and-forty pound in four rolls of the ball, he must indeed.Gentlemen, we've port, sherry, cigars, and most excellent champagne.Here, wai-ter, bring a bottle of champagne, and let's have a dozen orfifteen cigars here--and let's be comfortable, gentlemen--and bring someclean glasses--any time while the ball rolls!--I lost one hundred andthirty-seven pound yesterday, gentlemen, at one roll of the ball, Idid indeed!--how do you do, sir?' (recognising some knowing gentlemanwithout any halt or change of voice, and giving a wink so slight thatit seems an accident), 'will you take a glass of sherry, sir?--here,wai-ter! bring a clean glass, and hand the sherry to this gentleman--andhand it round, will you, waiter?--this is the rooge-a-nore from Paris,gentlemen--any time while the ball rolls!--gentlemen, make your game,and back your own opinions--it's the rooge-a-nore from Paris--quite anew game, I brought it over myself, I did indeed--gentlemen, the ball'sa-rolling!'

This officer was busily plying his vocation when half-a-dozen personssauntered through the booth, to whom, but without stopping either in hisspeech or work, he bowed respectfully; at the same time directing, bya look, the attention of a man beside him to the tallest figure in thegroup, in recognition of whom the proprietor pulled off his hat. Thiswas Sir Mulberry Hawk, with whom were his friend and pupil, and a smalltrain of gentlemanly-dressed men, of characters more doubtful thanobscure.

The proprietor, in a low voice, bade Sir Mulberry good-day. SirMulberry, in the same tone, bade the proprietor go to the devil, andturned to speak with his friends.

There was evidently an irritable consciousness about him that he was anobject of curiosity, on this first occasion of showing himself in publicafter the accident that had befallen him; and it was easy to perceivethat he appeared on the race-course, that day, more in the hope ofmeeting with a great many people who knew him, and so getting over asmuch as possible of the annoyance at once, than with any purpose ofenjoying the sport. There yet remained a slight scar upon his face,and whenever he was recognised, as he was almost every minute by peoplesauntering in and out, he made a restless effort to conceal it with hisglove; showing how keenly he felt the disgrace he had undergone.

'Ah! Hawk,' said one very sprucely-dressed personage in a Newmarketcoat, a choice neckerchief, and all other accessories of the mostunexceptionable kind. 'How d'ye do, old fellow?'

This was a rival trainer of young noblemen and gentlemen, and the personof all others whom Sir Mulberry most hated and dreaded to meet. Theyshook hands with excessive cordiality.

'And how are you now, old fellow, hey?'

'Quite well, quite well,' said Sir Mulberry.

'That's right,' said the other. 'How d'ye do, Verisopht? He's a littlepulled down, our friend here. Rather out of condition still, hey?'

It should be observed that the gentleman had very white teeth, and thatwhen there was no excuse for laughing, he generally finished with thesame monosyllable, which he uttered so as to display them.

'He's in very good condition; there's nothing the matter with him,' saidthe young man carelessly.

'Upon my soul I'm glad to hear it,' rejoined the other. 'Have you justreturned from Brussels?'

'We only reached town late last night,' said Lord Frederick. SirMulberry turned away to speak to one of his own party, and feigned notto hear.

'Now, upon my life,' said the friend, affecting to speak in a whisper,'it's an uncommonly bold and game thing in Hawk to show himself so soon.I say it advisedly; there's a vast deal of courage in it. You see he hasjust rusticated long enough to excite curiosity, and not long enough formen to have forgotten that deuced unpleasant--by-the-bye--you know therights of the affair, of course? Why did you never give those confoundedpapers the lie? I seldom read the papers, but I looked in the papers forthat, and may I be--'

'Look in the papers,' interrupted Sir Mulberry, turning suddenly round,'tomorrow--no, next day, will you?'

'Upon my life, my dear fellow, I seldom or never read the papers,' saidthe other, shrugging his shoulders, 'but I will, at your recommendation.What shall I look for?'

'Good day,' said Sir Mulberry, turning abruptly on his heel, and drawinghis pupil with him. Falling, again, into the loitering, careless pace atwhich they had entered, they lounged out, arm in arm.

'I won't give him a case of murder to read,' muttered Sir Mulberry withan oath; 'but it shall be something very near it if whipcord cuts andbludgeons bruise.'

His companion said nothing, but there was something in his manner whichgalled Sir Mulberry to add, with nearly as much ferocity as if hisfriend had been Nicholas himself:

'I sent Jenkins to old Nickleby before eight o'clock this morning. He'sa staunch one; he was back with me before the messenger. I had it allfrom him in the first five minutes. I know where this hound is to be metwith; time and place both. But there's no need to talk; tomorrow willsoon be here.'

'And wha-at's to be done tomorrow?' inquired Lord Frederick.

Sir Mulberry Hawk honoured him with an angry glance, but condescendedto return no verbal answer to this inquiry. Both walked sullenly on, asthough their thoughts were busily occupied, until they were quite clearof the crowd, and almost alone, when Sir Mulberry wheeled round toreturn.

'Stop,' said his companion, 'I want to speak to you in earnest. Don'tturn back. Let us walk here, a few minutes.'

'What have you to say to me, that you could not say yonder as well ashere?' returned his Mentor, disengaging his arm.

'Hawk,' rejoined the other, 'tell me; I must know.'

'MUST know,' interrupted the other disdainfully. 'Whew! Go on. If youmust know, of course there's no escape for me. Must know!'

'Must ask then,' returned Lord Frederick, 'and must press you for aplain and straightforward answer. Is what you have just said only amere whim of the moment, occasioned by your being out of humour andirritated, or is it your serious intention, and one that you haveactually contemplated?'

'Why, don't you remember what passed on the subject one night, when Iwas laid up with a broken limb?' said Sir Mulberry, with a sneer.

'Perfectly well.'

'Then take that for an answer, in the devil's name,' replied SirMulberry, 'and ask me for no other.'

Such was the ascendancy he had acquired over his dupe, and such thelatter's general habit of submission, that, for the moment, the youngman seemed half afraid to pursue the subject. He soon overcame thisfeeling, however, if it had restrained him at all, and retorted angrily:

'If I remember what passed at the time you speak of, I expressed astrong opinion on this subject, and said that, with my knowledge orconsent, you never should do what you threaten now.'

'Will you prevent me?' asked Sir Mulberry, with a laugh.

'Ye-es, if I can,' returned the other, promptly.

'A very proper saving clause, that last,' said Sir Mulberry; 'and oneyou stand in need of. Oh! look to your own business, and leave me tolook to mine.'

'This IS mine,' retorted Lord Frederick. 'I make it mine; I will make itmine. It's mine already. I am more compromised than I should be, as itis.'

'Do as you please, and what you please, for yourself,' said SirMulberry, affecting an easy good-humour. 'Surely that must contentyou! Do nothing for me; that's all. I advise no man to interfere inproceedings that I choose to take. I am sure you know me better thanto do so. The fact is, I see, you mean to offer me advice. It is wellmeant, I have no doubt, but I reject it. Now, if you please, we willreturn to the carriage. I find no entertainment here, but quite thereverse. If we prolong this conversation, we might quarrel, which wouldbe no proof of wisdom in either you or me.'

With this rejoinder, and waiting for no further discussion, Sir MulberryHawk yawned, and very leisurely turned back.

There was not a little tact and knowledge of the young lord'sdisposition in this mode of treating him. Sir Mulberry clearly saw thatif his dominion were to last, it must be established now. He knew thatthe moment he became violent, the young man would become violent too.He had, many times, been enabled to strengthen his influence, whenany circumstance had occurred to weaken it, by adopting this cool andlaconic style; and he trusted to it now, with very little doubt of itsentire success.

But while he did this, and wore the most careless and indifferentdeportment that his practised arts enabled him to assume, he inwardlyresolved, not only to visit all the mortification of being compelled tosuppress his feelings, with additional severity upon Nicholas, but alsoto make the young lord pay dearly for it, one day, in some shape orother. So long as he had been a passive instrument in his hands, SirMulberry had regarded him with no other feeling than contempt; but, nowthat he presumed to avow opinions in opposition to his, and even to turnupon him with a lofty tone and an air of superiority, he began to hatehim. Conscious that, in the vilest and most worthless sense of the term,he was dependent upon the weak young lord, Sir Mulberry could the lessbrook humiliation at his hands; and when he began to dislike him hemeasured his dislike--as men often do--by the extent of the injuries hehad inflicted upon its object. When it is remembered that Sir MulberryHawk had plundered, duped, deceived, and fooled his pupil in everypossible way, it will not be wondered at, that, beginning to hate him,he began to hate him cordially.

On the other hand, the young lord having thought--which he very seldomdid about anything--and seriously too, upon the affair with Nicholas,and the circumstances which led to it, had arrived at a manly andhonest conclusion. Sir Mulberry's coarse and insulting behaviour onthe occasion in question had produced a deep impression on his mind; astrong suspicion of his having led him on to pursue Miss Nickleby forpurposes of his own, had been lurking there for some time; he was reallyashamed of his share in the transaction, and deeply mortified by themisgiving that he had been gulled. He had had sufficient leisure toreflect upon these things, during their late retirement; and, at times,when his careless and indolent nature would permit, had availed himselfof the opportunity. Slight circumstances, too, had occurred to increasehis suspicion. It wanted but a very slight circumstance to kindle hiswrath against Sir Mulberry. This his disdainful and insolent tone intheir recent conversation (the only one they had held upon the subjectsince the period to which Sir Mulberry referred), effected.

Thus they rejoined their friends: each with causes of dislike againstthe other rankling in his breast: and the young man haunted, besides,with thoughts of the vindictive retaliation which was threatened againstNicholas, and the determination to prevent it by some strong step, ifpossible. But this was not all. Sir Mulberry, conceiving that he hadsilenced him effectually, could not suppress his triumph, or forbearfrom following up what he conceived to be his advantage. Mr Pyke wasthere, and Mr Pluck was there, and Colonel Chowser, and other gentlemenof the same caste, and it was a great point for Sir Mulberry to showthem that he had not lost his influence. At first, the young lordcontented himself with a silent determination to take measures forwithdrawing himself from the connection immediately. By degrees, he grewmore angry, and was exasperated by jests and familiarities which, a fewhours before, would have been a source of amusement to him. This did notserve him; for, at such bantering or retort as suited the company, hewas no match for Sir Mulberry. Still, no violent rupture took place.They returned to town; Messrs Pyke and Pluck and other gentlemenfrequently protesting, on the way thither, that Sir Mulberry had neverbeen in such tiptop spirits in all his life.

They dined together, sumptuously. The wine flowed freely, as indeedit had done all day. Sir Mulberry drank to recompense himself for hisrecent abstinence; the young lord, to drown his indignation; and theremainder of the party, because the wine was of the best and they hadnothing to pay. It was nearly midnight when they rushed out, wild,burning with wine, their blood boiling, and their brains on fire, to thegaming-table.

Here, they encountered another party, mad like themselves. Theexcitement of play, hot rooms, and glaring lights was not calculated toallay the fever of the time. In that giddy whirl of noise and confusion,the men were delirious. Who thought of money, ruin, or the morrow, inthe savage intoxication of the moment? More wine was called for, glassafter glass was drained, their parched and scalding mouths were crackedwith thirst. Down poured the wine like oil on blazing fire. And stillthe riot went on. The debauchery gained its height; glasses were dashedupon the floor by hands that could not carry them to lips; oaths wereshouted out by lips which could scarcely form the words to vent themin; drunken losers cursed and roared; some mounted on the tables, wavingbottles above their heads and bidding defiance to the rest; some danced,some sang, some tore the cards and raved. Tumult and frenzy reignedsupreme; when a noise arose that drowned all others, and two men,seizing each other by the throat, struggled into the middle of the room.

A dozen voices, until now unheard, called aloud to part them. Those whohad kept themselves cool, to win, and who earned their living in suchscenes, threw themselves upon the combatants, and, forcing them asunder,dragged them some space apart.

'Let me go!' cried Sir Mulberry, in a thick hoarse voice; 'he struckme! Do you hear? I say, he struck me. Have I a friend here? Who is this?Westwood. Do you hear me say he struck me?'

'I hear, I hear,' replied one of those who held him. 'Come away fortonight!'

'I will not, by G--,' he replied. 'A dozen men about us saw the blow.'

'Tomorrow will be ample time,' said the friend.

'It will not be ample time!' cried Sir Mulberry. 'Tonight, at once,here!' His passion was so great, that he could not articulate, but stoodclenching his fist, tearing his hair, and stamping upon the ground.

'What is this, my lord?' said one of those who surrounded him. 'Haveblows passed?'

'ONE blow has,' was the panting reply. 'I struck him. I proclaim itto all here! I struck him, and he knows why. I say, with him, let thisquarrel be adjusted now. Captain Adams,' said the young lord, lookinghurriedly about him, and addressing one of those who had interposed,'let me speak with you, I beg.'

The person addressed stepped forward, and taking the young man's arm,they retired together, followed shortly afterwards by Sir Mulberry andhis friend.

It was a profligate haunt of the worst repute, and not a place in whichsuch an affair was likely to awaken any sympathy for either party, orto call forth any further remonstrance or interposition. Elsewhere, itsfurther progress would have been instantly prevented, and time allowedfor sober and cool reflection; but not there. Disturbed in their orgies,the party broke up; some reeled away with looks of tipsy gravity; otherswithdrew noisily discussing what had just occurred; the gentlemen ofhonour who lived upon their winnings remarked to each other, as theywent out, that Hawk was a good shot; and those who had been most noisy,fell fast asleep upon the sofas, and thought no more about it.

Meanwhile, the two seconds, as they may be called now, after a longconference, each with his principal, met together in another room. Bothutterly heartless, both men upon town, both thoroughly initiated in itsworst vices, both deeply in debt, both fallen from some higher estate,both addicted to every depravity for which society can find some genteelname and plead its most depraving conventionalities as an excuse, theywere naturally gentlemen of most unblemished honour themselves, and ofgreat nicety concerning the honour of other people.

These two gentlemen were unusually cheerful just now; for the affair waspretty certain to make some noise, and could scarcely fail to enhancetheir reputations.

'This is an awkward affair, Adams,' said Mr Westwood, drawing himselfup.

'Very,' returned the captain; 'a blow has been struck, and there is butone course, OF course.'

'No apology, I suppose?' said Mr Westwood.

'Not a syllable, sir, from my man, if we talk till doomsday,' returnedthe captain. 'The original cause of dispute, I understand, was somegirl or other, to whom your principal applied certain terms, whichLord Frederick, defending the girl, repelled. But this led to along recrimination upon a great many sore subjects, charges, andcounter-charges. Sir Mulberry was sarcastic; Lord Frederick was excited,and struck him in the heat of provocation, and under circumstances ofgreat aggravation. That blow, unless there is a full retraction on thepart of Sir Mulberry, Lord Frederick is ready to justify.'

'There is no more to be said,' returned the other, 'but to settle thehour and the place of meeting. It's a responsibility; but there is astrong feeling to have it over. Do you object to say at sunrise?'

'Sharp work,' replied the captain, referring to his watch; 'however, asthis seems to have been a long time breeding, and negotiation is only awaste of words, no.'

'Something may possibly be said, out of doors, after what passed in theother room, which renders it desirable that we should be off withoutdelay, and quite clear of town,' said Mr Westwood. 'What do you say toone of the meadows opposite Twickenham, by the river-side?'

The captain saw no objection.

'Shall we join company in the avenue of trees which leads from Petershamto Ham House, and settle the exact spot when we arrive there?' said MrWestwood.

To this the captain also assented. After a few other preliminaries,equally brief, and having settled the road each party should take toavoid suspicion, they separated.

'We shall just have comfortable time, my lord,' said the captain, whenhe had communicated the arrangements, 'to call at my rooms for a case ofpistols, and then jog coolly down. If you will allow me to dismiss yourservant, we'll take my cab; for yours, perhaps, might be recognised.'

What a contrast, when they reached the street, to the scene they hadjust left! It was already daybreak. For the flaring yellow light within,was substituted the clear, bright, glorious morning; for a hot, closeatmosphere, tainted with the smell of expiring lamps, and reeking withthe steams of riot and dissipation, the free, fresh, wholesome air. Butto the fevered head on which that cool air blew, it seemed to come ladenwith remorse for time misspent and countless opportunities neglected.With throbbing veins and burning skin, eyes wild and heavy, thoughtshurried and disordered, he felt as though the light were a reproach, andshrunk involuntarily from the day as if he were some foul and hideousthing.

'Shivering?' said the captain. 'You are cold.'

'Rather.'

'It does strike cool, coming out of those hot rooms. Wrap that cloakabout you. So, so; now we're off.'

They rattled through the quiet streets, made their call at the captain'slodgings, cleared the town, and emerged upon the open road, withouthindrance or molestation.

Fields, trees, gardens, hedges, everything looked very beautiful; theyoung man scarcely seemed to have noticed them before, though he hadpassed the same objects a thousand times. There was a peace and serenityupon them all, strangely at variance with the bewilderment and confusionof his own half-sobered thoughts, and yet impressive and welcome. He hadno fear upon his mind; but, as he looked about him, he had less anger;and though all old delusions, relative to his worthless late companion,were now cleared away, he rather wished he had never known him thanthought of its having come to this.

The past night, the day before, and many other days and nights beside,all mingled themselves up in one unintelligible and senseless whirl; hecould not separate the transactions of one time from those of another.Now, the noise of the wheels resolved itself into some wild tune inwhich he could recognise scraps of airs he knew; now, there was nothingin his ears but a stunning and bewildering sound, like rushing water.But his companion rallied him on being so silent, and they talked andlaughed boisterously. When they stopped, he was a little surprised tofind himself in the act of smoking; but, on reflection, he rememberedwhen and where he had taken the cigar.

They stopped at the avenue gate and alighted, leaving the carriage tothe care of the servant, who was a smart fellow, and nearly as wellaccustomed to such proceedings as his master. Sir Mulberry and hisfriend were already there. All four walked in profound silence up theaisle of stately elm trees, which, meeting far above their heads, formeda long green perspective of Gothic arches, terminating, like some oldruin, in the open sky.

After a pause, and a brief conference between the seconds, they, atlength, turned to the right, and taking a track across a little meadow,passed Ham House and came into some fields beyond. In one of these, theystopped. The ground was measured, some usual forms gone through, the twoprincipals were placed front to front at the distance agreed upon, andSir Mulberry turned his face towards his young adversary for the firsttime. He was very pale, his eyes were bloodshot, his dress disordered,and his hair dishevelled. For the face, it expressed nothing but violentand evil passions. He shaded his eyes with his hand; grazed at hisopponent, steadfastly, for a few moments; and, then taking the weaponwhich was tendered to him, bent his eyes upon that, and looked up nomore until the word was given, when he instantly fired.

The two shots were fired, as nearly as possible, at the same instant. Inthat instant, the young lord turned his head sharply round, fixed uponhis adversary a ghastly stare, and without a groan or stagger, fell downdead.

'He's gone!' cried Westwood, who, with the other second, had run up tothe body, and fallen on one knee beside it.

'His blood on his own head,' said Sir Mulberry. 'He brought this uponhimself, and forced it upon me.'

'Captain Adams,' cried Westwood, hastily, 'I call you to witness thatthis was fairly done. Hawk, we have not a moment to lose. We must leavethis place immediately, push for Brighton, and cross to France with allspeed. This has been a bad business, and may be worse, if we delaya moment. Adams, consult your own safety, and don't remain here; theliving before the dead; goodbye!'

With these words, he seized Sir Mulberry by the arm, and hurried himaway. Captain Adams--only pausing to convince himself, beyond allquestion, of the fatal result--sped off in the same direction, toconcert measures with his servant for removing the body, and securinghis own safety likewise.

So died Lord Frederick Verisopht, by the hand which he had loaded withgifts, and clasped a thousand times; by the act of him, but for whom,and others like him, he might have lived a happy man, and died withchildren's faces round his bed.

The sun came proudly up in all his majesty, the noble river ran itswinding course, the leaves quivered and rustled in the air, the birdspoured their cheerful songs from every tree, the short-lived butterflyfluttered its little wings; all the light and life of day came on; and,amidst it all, and pressing down the grass whose every blade bore twentytiny lives, lay the dead man, with his stark and rigid face turnedupwards to the sky.