g grey Ulster, like a ship in full sail. "Morning, May; who'd have
thought to see you here. Oh, don't turn on my account! I'm only taking a
walk; it don't matter which way I go."

"I am very much hurried. I was just about to hasten off to an
appointment. Good-bye, Northcote," said Reginald. "We shall meet again
soon, I hope."

"By Jove! this is a surprise," said Clarence; "to see you here, where I
should as soon have thought of looking for St. Paul's; and to find you
walking about cheek by jowl with that muff, young May, who couldn't be
civil, I think, if he were to try. What is the meaning of it? I suppose
you're just as much startled to see me. I'm with a coach; clever, and a
good scholar and a good family, and all that; father to that young
sprig: so there ain't any mystery about me. What's brought you here?"

"Work," said Northcote, curtly. He did not feel disposed to enter into
any kind of explanation.

"Oh, work! Now I do wonder that a fellow like you, with plenty of money
in your pocket, should go in for work as you do. What's the good of it?
and in the Dissenting parson line of all things in the world! When a
fellow has nothing, you can understand it; he must get his grub somehow.
That's what people think of you, of course. Me, I don't do anything, and
everybody knows I'm a catch, and all that sort of thing. Now I don't say
(for I don't know) if your governor has as much to leave behind him as
mine--But halt a bit! You walk as if we were going in for athletics, and
doing a two mile."

"I'm sorry to see you so easily blown," said Northcote, not displeased
in his turn to say something unpleasant. "What is it? or are you only
out of training?"

"That's it," said Clarence, with a gasp. "I'm awfully out of training,
and that's the fact. We do, perhaps, live too well in Portland Place;
but look here--about what we were saying--"

"Do you live with the Mays?"

"Worse luck! It's what you call plain cooking; and bless us all, dinner
in the middle of the day, and the children at table. But I've put a stop
to that; and old May ain't a bad old fellow--don't bother me with work
more than I like, and none of your high mightiness, like that fellow.
I'll tell you what, Northcote, you must come and see me. I haven't got a
sitting-room of my own, which is a shame, but I have the use of their
rooms as much as I like. The sisters go flying away like a flock of
pigeons. I'll tell you what, I'll have you asked to dinner. Cap