r's place. My envy of such a home was acute, and I thought of
Janet, and how well she was fashioned to build one resembling it, if
only the mate allotted to her should not be a fantastical dreamer.
Temple's character seemed to me to demand a wife like Janet on its
merits; an idea that depressed me exceedingly. I had introduced Temple
to Anna Penrhys, who was very kind to him; but these two were not
framed to be other than friends. Janet, on the contrary, might some day
perceive the sterling fellow Temple was, notwithstanding his moderate
height. She might, I thought. I remembered that I had once wished that
she would, and I was amazed at myself. But why? She was a girl sure to
marry. I brushed these meditations away. They recurred all the time I
was in Temple's house.

Mr. Temple waited for my invitation to touch on my father's Case, when
he distinctly pronounced his opinion that it could end but in failure.
Though a strict Constitutionalist, he had words of disgust for princes,
acknowledging, however, that we were not practical in our use of them,
and kept them for political purposes often to the perversion of our
social laws and their natural dispositions. He spoke of his son's freak
in joining the Navy. 'That was the princess's doing,' said Temple. 'She
talked of our naval heroes, till she made me feel I had only to wear the
anchor buttons to be one myself. Don't tell her I was invalided from the
service, Richie, for the truth is, I believe, I half-shammed. And the
time won't be lost. You'll see I shall extract guineas from "old ocean"
like salt. Precious few barristers understand maritime cases. The other
day I was in Court, and prompted a great Q.C. in a case of collision.
Didn't I, sir?'

'I think there was a hoarse whisper audible up to the Judge's seat at
intervals,' said Mr. Temple.

'The Bar cannot confess to obligations from those who don't wear the
robe,' Temple rejoined.

His father advised me to read for the Bar, as a piece of very good
training.

I appealed to Temple, whether he thought it possible to read law-books
in a cockboat in a gale of wind.

Temple grimaced and his father nodded. Still it struck me that I might
one day have the felicity of quiet hours to sit down with Temple and
read Law--far behind him in the race. And he envied me, in his friendly
manner, I knew. My ambition had been blown to tatters.

A new day dawned. The household rose and met at the breakfast-table,
devoid of any dr