ith his
compliments to Lady Dunstane." I could have floored him for that. Bless
my soul, what fellows the world is made of, when here's a man, calling
himself a gentleman, who, just because he gets in a rage with his wife
for one thing or another--and past all competition the handsomest woman
of her day, and the cleverest, the nicest, the best of the whole
boiling--has her out for a public horsewhipping, and sets all the idiots
of the kingdom against her! I tried to reason with him. He made as if he
were going to sleep standing.'

Sir Lukin gratified Lady Dunstane by his honest championship of Diana.
And now, in his altered mood (the thrice indebted rogue was just cloudily
conscious of a desire to propitiate his dear wife by serving her friend),
he began a crusade against the scandal-newspapers, going with an Irish
military comrade straight to the editorial offices, and leaving his card
and a warning that the chastisement for print of the name of the lady in
their columns would be personal and condign. Captain Carew Mahony, albeit
unacquainted with Mrs. Warwick, had espoused her cause. She was a woman,
she was an Irishwoman, she was a beautiful woman. She had, therefore,
three positive claims on him as a soldier and a man. Other Irish
gentlemen, animated by the same swelling degrees, were awaking to the
intimation that they might be wanted. Some words were dropped here and
there by General Lord Larrian: he regretted his age and infirmities. A
goodly regiment for a bodyguard might have been selected to protect her
steps in the public streets; when it was bruited that the General had
sent her a present of his great Newfoundland dog, Leander, to attend on
her and impose a required respect. But as it chanced that her address was
unknown to the volunteer constabulary, they had to assuage their ardour
by thinking the dog luckier than they.

The report of the dog was a fact. He arrived one morning at Diana's
lodgings, with a soldier to lead him, and a card to introduce:--the
Hercules of dogs, a very ideal of the species, toweringly big,
benevolent, reputed a rescuer of lives, disdainful of dog-fighting,
devoted to his guardian's office, with a majestic paw to give and the
noblest satisfaction in receiving caresses ever expressed by mortal male
enfolded about the head, kissed, patted, hugged, snuggled, informed that
he was his new mistress's one love and darling.

She despatched a thrilling note of thanks to Lord Larrian, sur