nlands.

A year after that eventful Christmas in Egypt, Jack was sitting before
the fire in Queen Mab's parlour, when Raymond was announced, and shown
into the room. He was dressed, as usual, in good though rather flashy
clothes; but in spite of this, he looked cheap and common, and his
general appearance gave one the impression of dirt wrapped up in silver
paper. The moment he saw Jack a spiteful look came into his face, and
he took no pains to conceal the old dislike and hatred with which he
still regarded the latter.

"Hallo! so you've turned up again. I thought you'd soon get sick of
soldiering; too much hard work to suit your book, I expect."

"No; I left it because I had a chance of something better. Aunt
Mabel's out; will you wait till she comes back?"

Jack had seen more of the world since the day when he had knocked the
visitor into the laurel bush; and could now realize that Queen Mab had
spoken the truth when she said that punching heads was not always the
most satisfactory kind of revenge. He had a score to settle with
Raymond; but he regarded the latter now as a pitiful fellow not worth
quarrelling with, and he hesitated, half-minded to let the matter drop
without mentioning what was on his mind.

Fosberton mistook the meaning of the other's averted glance. He
thought himself master of the situation, and, like a fool, having,
figuratively speaking, been given enough rope, he promptly proceeded to
hang himself.

"You've been lying low for a precious long time," he continued,
maliciously. "Why didn't you come here before? You've been asked
often enough!"

"I had my own reasons for stopping away."

"You didn't like to come back after the bother about that watch, I
suppose?"

Jack let him run on. "That was partly it," he answered.

"Well, then," continued Raymond, with a sneer, "you made a great
mistake bolting like that; you gave yourself away completely."

"I don't understand you," returned the other, with a sharper ring in
his voice. "D'you mean to charge me again with having stolen the
watch?"

"Pooh! I daresay you know what's become of it."

"Yes," answered Jack calmly, at the same time fixing the other with a
steady stare, "I _do_ know what's become of it: at the present moment
it's in its case in that cupboard there. Shall I show it you?"

The answer was so strange and unexpected that Raymond started; the
meaning look in his cousin's eyes warned him that he was treading on