ianized major. _He_, poor fellow! followed her about everywhere,
asked her to dance in quite an insane manner, and made the most
horrible revokes in whist and mistakes in pool that can be imagined.

"By George! she is pretty, and no mistake!" said Sydney, as Florence
rode past us one day as we were sauntering down Layton, looking
charmingly _en amazone_.

"Pretty! I should rather think so. She is more beautiful than any other
woman upon earth!" cried Mounteagle.

"Y'ally! well, I can't see _that_," replied Ennuye. "She has tolerably
good eyes, but she is too _petite_ to please me."

"Ah! the adjutant's girls have rendered L'Estrange _difficile_. He
cannot expect to meet _their_ equals in a hurry!" said Fane, in a very
audible aside.

Poor Ennuye was silenced--nay, he even blushed. The adjutant's girls
recalled an episode in which the gallant cornet had shone in a rather
verdant light. Fane had effectually quieted him.

"I wonder if Florence Aspeden will marry Mount?" I remarked to Fane,
when the others had left us. "She does not seem to pay him much heed
_yet_; but still----"

"The devil, no!" cried Fane, in an unusually energetic manner. "I would
stake my life she would not have such a muff as that, if he owned half
the titles in the peerage!"

"You seem rather excited about the matter," I observed. "It would not be
such a bad match for her, for you know she has no tin; but I am sure,
with your opinion on love-matches, you would not counsel Mount to such a
step."

"Of course not!" replied Fane, in his ordinary cool tones. "A man has no
right to marry for love, except he is one of those fortunate individuals
who own half a county, or some country doctor or parson of whom the
world takes no notice. There may be a few exceptions. But yet," he
continued, with the air of a person trying to convince himself against
his will, "did you ever see a love match turn out happily? It is all
very well for the first week, but the roses won't bloom in winter, and
then the cottage walls look ugly. Then a fellow cannot live as he did
_en garcon_, and all his friends drop him, and altogether it is an act
no wise man would perpetrate. But I shall forget to give you a message I
was intrusted with. They are going to get up some theatricals at
Woodlands. I have promised to take _Sir Thomas Clifford_ (the piece is
the 'Hunchback'). and they want you to play _Modus_ to Mary Aspeden's
_Helen_. Do, old fellow. Acting is very good fun w