somewhat, Charlie, in throwing that vagabond in
your way, but for all else we have to thank you both, for the
manner in which you have carried the affair out, and captured your
fox. As for John Dormay, 'tis the best thing that could have
happened. I have often thought it over, while you have been away,
and have said to myself that the best settlement of the business
would be that you, Harry, when you obtained proofs, should go down,
confront him publicly, and charge him with his treachery, force him
to draw, and then run him through the body. Charlie would, of
course, have been the proper person, in my absence, so to settle
the matter, but he could not well have killed my cousin's husband,
and it would have added to the scandal.

"However, the way it has turned out is better altogether. It will
be only a nine days' wonder. The man has been cut by all the
gentry, and when it is known that he shot himself to escape arrest,
many will say that it was a fit ending, and will trouble themselves
no more concerning him.

"You are coming back with me, I hope, Charlie. I have seen but
little of you for the last four years, and if you are, as you say,
going with the Duke of Marlborough to the war in the spring, I
don't want to lose sight of you again till then. You can surely
resign your commission here without going back to the army,
especially as you have leave of absence until the end of March."

Charlie hesitated.

"I think so, too," Harry said. "I know that the colonel told the
king the whole story, when he asked for leave for me and obtained
that paper. He told my father that the king was greatly interested,
and said: 'I hope the young fellows will succeed, though I suppose,
if they do, I shall lose two promising young officers.' So he will
not be surprised when he hears that we have resigned.

"As for me, I shall, of course, go on at once. My father will, I am
sure, be delighted to return home. The hardships have told upon him
a good deal, and he has said several times, of late, how much he
wished he could see his way to retiring. I think, too, he will
gladly consent to my entering our own service, instead of that of
Sweden. He would not have done so, I am sure, had William been
still on the throne. Now it is altogether different."

"Well, Harry, if you do see the king, as it is possible you may do,
or if you do not, you might speak to the colonel, and ask him, in
my name, to express to Charles my regret at leaving