pool
consultant, but he had not inherited the talents of his father, and Dr.
Lana, with his advantages of presence and of manner, soon beat him out
of the field. Dr. Lana's social success was as rapid as his
professional. A remarkable surgical cure in the case of the Hon. James
Lowry, the second son of Lord Belton, was the means of introducing him
to county society, where he became a favourite through the charm of his
conversation and the elegance of his manners. An absence of
antecedents and of relatives is sometimes an aid rather than an
impediment to social advancement, and the distinguished individuality
of the handsome doctor was its own recommendation.

His patients had one fault--and one fault only--to find with him. He
appeared to be a confirmed bachelor. This was the more remarkable
since the house which he occupied was a large one, and it was known
that his success in practice had enabled him to save considerable sums.
At first the local matchmakers were continually coupling his name with
one or other of the eligible ladies, but as years passed and Dr. Lana
remained unmarried, it came to be generally understood that for some
reason he must remain a bachelor. Some even went so far as to assert
that he was already married, and that it was in order to escape the
consequence of an early misalliance that he had buried himself at
Bishop's Crossing. And, then, just as the matchmakers had finally given
him up in despair, his engagement was suddenly announced to Miss
Frances Morton, of Leigh Hall.

Miss Morton was a young lady who was well known upon the country-side,
her father, James Haldane Morton, having been the Squire of Bishop's
Crossing. Both her parents were, however, dead, and she lived with her
only brother, Arthur Morton, who had inherited the family estate. In
person Miss Morton was tall and stately, and she was famous for her
quick, impetuous nature and for her strength of character. She met Dr.
Lana at a garden-party, and a friendship, which quickly ripened into
love, sprang up between them. Nothing could exceed their devotion to
each other. There was some discrepancy in age, he being thirty-seven,
and she twenty-four; but, save in that one respect, there was no
possible objection to be found with the match. The engagement was in
February, and it was arranged that the marriage should take place in
August.

Upon the 3rd of June Dr. Lana received a letter from abroad. In a small
village the