possible he told Mr. Bart what his plan about his nephew
was, and how he had carried it against maternal, and now must carry
it against maiden, love. If Lancelot had any good stuff in him, any
vertebrate embryo of honesty, to be put among men, and upon his mettle
(with a guardian angel in the distance of sweet home), would stablish
all the man in him, and stint the beast. Mr. Bart, though he hated hard
fighting, admitted that for weak people it was needful; and was only too
happy so to cut the knot of his own home entanglements with the ruthless
sword. For a man of liberal education, and much experience in spending
money, who can put a new bottom to his own saucepan, is not the one to
feel any despair of his fellow-creatures mending.

Then arose the question, who should bell the cat, or rather, who should
lead the cat to the belling. Pet must be taken, under strong duress, to
the altar--as his poor mother said, and shrieked--whereat he was to shed
his darling blood. His heart was in his mouth when his uniform came; and
he gave his sacred honor to fly, straight as an arrow, to the port where
his regiment was getting into boats; but Sir Duncan shook his grizzled
head. "Somebody must see him into it," he said. "Not a lady; no, no,
my dear Eliza. I can not go myself; but it must be a man of rigidity, a
stern agent. Oh, I know! how stupid of me!"

"You mean poor dear Mr. Jellicorse," suggested Mrs. Carnaby, with a
short hot sob. "But, Duncan, he has not the heart for it. For anything
honest and loyal and good, kind people may trust him with their lives.
But to tyranny, rapine, and manslaughter, he never could lend his fine
honorable face."

"I mean a man of a very different cast--a man who knows what time is
worth; a man who is going to be married on a Sunday, that he may not
lose the day. He has to take three days' holiday, because the lady is an
heiress; otherwise he might get off with one. But he hopes to be at work
again on Wednesday, and we will have him here post-haste from York on
Thursday. It will be the very job to suit him--a gentleman of Roman
ancestry, and of the name of Mordacks."

"My heart was broken already; and now I can feel the poor pieces flying
into my brain. Oh, why did I ever have a babe for monsters of the name
of Mordacks to devour?"

Mordacks was only too glad to come. On the very day after their union,
Calpurnia (likewise of Roman descent) had exhibited symptoms of a strong
will of her own.