considerably embarrassed, and said,--

"Please, sir, to go out quiet, else he'll be having one of his
fits."

"Your master, you mean."

"Yes, sir," said the butler, nodding, "D. T., sir. After one of
his rages the black dog comes, and it's hawful work, so I hope
you'll go, sir."

"Very well, of course I'll go. I don't want to give him fit."
Saying which, Tom walked out of the hall-door, and leisurely
round to the stables, where he found already signs of commotion.
Without regarding them, he got his horse saddled and bridled,
and, after looking him over carefully, and patting him, and
feeling his girths in the yard, in the presence of a cluster of
retainers of one sort or another, who were gathered from the
house and offices, and looking sorely puzzled whether to commence
hostilities or not, mounted and walked quietly out.

After his anger had been a little cooled by the fresh air of the
wild country at the back of Hawk's Lynch, which he struck into on
his way home soon after leaving the park, it suddenly occurred to
him that, however satisfactory to himself the results of his
encounter with this unjust landlord might seem, they would
probably prove anything but agreeable to the would-be tenant,
Harry Winburn. In fact, as he meditated on the matter, it became
clear to him that in the course of one morning he had probably
exasperated old Simon against his aspirant son-in-law, and put a
serious spoke in Harry's love-wheel, on the one hand, while on
the other, he had ensured his speedy expulsion from his cottage,
if not the demolition of that building. Whereupon he became
somewhat low under the conviction that his friendship, which was
to work such wonders for the said Harry, and deliver him out of
all his troubles, had as yet only made his whole look-out in the
world very much darker and more dusty. In short, as yet he had
managed to do considerably less than nothing for his friend, and
he felt very small before he got home that evening. He was far,
however, from being prepared for the serious way in which his
father looked upon his day's proceedings. Mr. Brown was sitting
by himself after dinner when his son turned up, and had to drink
several extra glasses of port to keep himself decently composed,
while Tom narrated the events of the day in the intervals of his
attacks on the dinner, which was brought back for him. When the
servant had cleared away, Mr. Brown proceeded to comment on the
history in a most decide