CLES.

Mr. Carlyle and Barbara were seated at breakfast, when, somewhat to
their surprise, Mr. Dill was shown in. Following close upon his heels
came Justice Hare; and close upon his heels came Squire Pinner; while
bringing up the rear was Colonel Bethel. All the four had come up
separately, not together, and all four were out of breath, as if it had
been a race which should arrive soonest.

Quite impossible was it for Mr. Carlyle, at first, to understand the
news they brought. All were talking at once, in the utmost excitement;
and the fury of Justice Hare alone was sufficient to produce temporary
deafness. Mr. Carlyle caught a word of the case presently.

"A second man? Opposition? Well, let him come on," he good-humoredly
cried. "We shall have the satisfaction of ascertaining who wins in the
end."

"But you have not heard who it is, Mr. Archibald," cried Old Dill,
"It--"

"Stand a contest with _him_?" raved Justice Hare. "He--"

"The fellow wants hanging," interjected Colonel Bethel.

"Couldn't he be ducked?" suggested Squire Pinner.

Now all these sentences were ranted out together, and their respective
utterers were fain to stop till the noise subsided a little. Barbara
could only look from one to the other in astonishment.

"Who is this formidable opponent?" asked Mr. Carlyle.

There was a pause. Not one of them but had the delicacy to shrink from
naming that man to Mr. Carlyle. The information came at last from Old
Dill, who dropped his voice while he spoke it.

"Mr. Archibald, the candidate who has come forward, is that man
Levison."

"Of course, Carlyle, you'll go into it now, neck and crop," cried
Justice Hare.

Mr. Carlyle was silent.

"You won't let the beast frighten you from the contest!" uttered Colonel
Bethel in a loud tone.

"There's a meeting at the Buck's Head at ten," said Mr. Carlyle, not
replying to the immediate question. "I will be with you there."

"Did you not say, Mr. Dill, that was where the scoundrel Levison is--at
the Buck's Head?"

"He was there," answered Mr. Dill. "I expect he is ousted by this time.
I asked the landlord what he thought of himself, for taking in such a
character, and what he supposed the justice would say to him. He vowed
with tears in his eyes that the fellow should not be there another hour,
and that he should never have entered it, had he known who he was."

A little more conversation, and the visitors filed off. Mr. Carlyle sat
down calmly to