ng your own bones and
ladies' hearts, in a manner exceedingly Irish?' said Julia with a smile,
into which not a particle of her habitual raillery entered.

'From your letters I can learn, Julia, that a very strange account of my
doings must have reached my friends here. Except from yourself, I have
met with scarcely anything but cold looks since my arrival.'

'Oh, never mind that; people will talk, you know. For my part, Jack, I
never will believe you anything but what I have always known you. The
heaviest charge I have heard against you is that of trifling with a
poor girl's affections; and as I know that the people who spread these
rumours generally don't know at which side either the trifling or the
affection resides, why, I think little about it.'

'And has this been said of me?'

'To be sure it has, and ten times as much. As to your gambling sins,
there is no end to their enormity. A certain Mr. Rooney, I think the
name is, a noted play-man----'

'How absurd, Julia! Mr. Rooney never played in his life; nor have I,
except in the casual way every one does in a drawing-room.'

_'N'importe_--you are a lady-killer and a gambler. Now as to count
number three--for being a jockey.'

'My dear Julia, if you had seen my steeplechase you 'd acquit me of
that.'

'Indeed, I did hear,' said she roguishly, 'that you acquitted
yourself admirably; but still you won. And then we come to the great
offence--your quarrelsome habits. We heard, it is true, that you
behaved, as it is called, very honourably, etc; but really duelling is
so detestable----'

'Come, come, fair cousin, let us talk of something besides my
delinquencies. What do you think of my friend O'Grady?'

I said this suddenly, by way of reprisal; but to my utter discomfiture
she replied with perfect calmness--

'I rather was amused with him at first. He is very odd, very unlike
other people; but Lady Charlotte took him up so, and we had so much of
him here, I grew somewhat tired of him. He was, however, very fond of
you; and you know that made up for much with us all.'

There was a tone of sweetness and almost of deep interest in these last
few words that made my heart thrill, and unconsciously I pressed her arm
closer to my side, and felt the touch returned. Just at the instant my
father came forward accompanied by another, who I soon perceived was
the royal duke that had received me so coldly a few minutes before. His
frank, manly face was now all smiles,