ale of his earlier
days, and Mr. Oaklands is prepared to visit the most trifling indication
of disbelief with the fire and faggots of his indignation. Gentlemen,
I hope you are all good and true Fairleghites, or you will assuredly be
burned at the stake, to satisfy the bigotry of Pope Oaklands the First."

During this speech I could perceive by the veins on his forehead,
swollen almost to bursting, his firmly set teeth, and his Viands
clenched till the blood was forced back from the nails, that Oaklands
was striving to master his passion; apparently he succeeded in a great
measure, for, as Wilford concluded, he spoke calmly and deliberately:
"The only reply, sir," he began, "that I shall deign to make to your
elaborate insult is, that I consider it as such, and shall expect you to
render me the satisfaction due to a gentleman".

"No, Harry," exclaimed I, "I cannot permit this: the quarrel, if it be
a quarrel, is mine; on this point I cannot allow even you to interfere.
Mr. Wilford shall hear from me."

"No, no!" exclaimed Lawless; "I'm sure you must see, Wilford, that this
is not at all the sort of thing, eh? recollect Oaklands and Fairlegh
are two of my oldest friends, and something is due to me at all events,
eh?--Archer--Curtis--this cannot be allowed to go on."

By this time the party had with one accord risen from their seats, and
divided into groups, some collecting round Wilford and Lawless, others
about Oaklands and myself, and the confusion of tongues was perfectly
deafening. At length I heard Wilford's voice exclaim: "I consider it
unfair in the extreme to lay all this quarrelling and disturbance to
me, and, as it is not at all to my taste, I beg to wish you a very good
evening, Lawless".

~172~~"You will do no such thing," cried Oaklands, and, bursting through
the cluster of men who surrounded him and endeavoured to detain him, he
sprang to the door, double-locked it, and, placing his back against it,
added, "no one loaves the room till this affair is settled one way or
other." The action, the tone of voice, and the manner which accompanied
them, reminded me so forcibly of a deed of a somewhat similar nature
at Dr. Mildman's, when Oaklands first heard of the loss of his letter
containing the cheque, and began to suspect foul play--that for a moment
the lapse of years was forgotten, and it seemed as though we were boys
together again.

Whenever Oaklands was excited by strong emotion of any kind, there wa