as Coleman rapped at the door;
and anxious to discover the occasion of the sounds which had reached our
ears in the hall, we lost no time in obeying the summons. On entering
the apartment a somewhat singular spectacle greeted our sight. All the
furniture of the room, which was a tolerably large one, was piled on two
lines on either side, so as to leave a clear course along the middle; in
the centre of the space thus formed were placed two chairs about a
yard apart, and across the backs of these was laid the joint of a
fishing-rod.

[Illustration: page382 A New Cure for the Heart-ache]

As we entered, Lawless--who was without shoes, coat, or
waistcoat--exclaiming, "Wait a minute, I've just done it"--started from
one end of the room, and, running up to the chairs in the centre, leaped
over the fishing-rod. "Ninety-nine!" he continued; then, proceeding to
the other end, he again ran up to and sprang over the barrier, shouting
as he did so, in a tone of triumph, "A hundred!" ~383~~ and dragging an
easy-chair out of the chaotic heap of furniture, he flung himself into
it to all appearance utterly exhausted.

"Why, Lawless, man!" cried Freddy, "what are you doing? Have you taken
leave of your senses all of a sudden?"

"Eh! I believe 1 should have, if I had not hit upon that dodge for
keeping myself quiet."

"A somewhat Irish way of keeping quiet," returned Freddy; "why, the
perspiration is pouring down your face--you look regularly used up."

"Well, I am pretty nearly done brown--rather baked than otherwise,"
replied Lawless; "let me tell you, it's no joke to jump five hundred
times over a stick three feet high or more."

"And why, in the name of all that's absurd, have you been doing it
then?"

"Eh I why, you see, after I had sent our letter, I got into such a
dreadful state of impatience and worry, I didn't know what to do with
myself; I could not sit still at any price, and, first of all, I thought
I'd have a good gallop, but I declare to you I felt so reckless and
desperate, that I fancied I should go and break my neck; well, then it
occurred to me to jump over that stick till I had tired myself out--five
hundred times have I done it, and a pretty stiff job it was, too. And
now, what news have you got for me, Frank?"

"My dear Lawless," said I, laying my hand on his shoulder, "you must
prepare for a disappointment."

"There, that will do," interrupted Lawless; "as to preparation, if my
last hour's work is no