was rightly thought that the heir would hardly bring himself
to look upon Scroope as his home, unless some link were maintained
between himself and the place. Lady Scroope therefore wrote once a
week,--telling everything that there was to be told of the horses, the
game, and even of the tenants. She studied her letters, endeavouring to
make them light and agreeable,--such as a young man of large prospects
would like to receive from his own mother. He was "Dearest Fred," and
in one of those earliest written she expressed a hope that should any
trouble ever fall upon him he would come to her as to his dearest
friend. Fred was not a bad correspondent, and answered about every other
letter. His replies were short, but that was a matter of course. He was
"as jolly as a sandboy," "right as a trivet;" had had "one or two very
good things," and thought that upon the whole he liked Ennis better than
Limerick. "Johnstone is such a deuced good fellow!" Johnstone was the
captain of the 20th Hussars who happened to be stationed with him at
Limerick. Lady Scroope did not quite like the epithet, but she knew
that she had to learn to hear things to which she had hitherto not been
accustomed.

This was all very well;--but Lady Scroope, having a friend in Co. Clare,
thought that she might receive tidings of the adopted one which would be
useful, and with this object she opened a correspondence with Lady Mary
Quin. Lady Mary Quin was a daughter of the Earl of Kilfenora, and was
well acquainted with all County Clare. She was almost sure to hear of
the doings of any officers stationed at Ennis, and would do so certainly
in regard to an officer that was specially introduced to her. Fred
Neville was invited to stay at Castle Quin as long as he pleased, and
actually did pass one night under its roof. But, unfortunately for him,
that spirit of adventure which he was determined to indulge led him into
the neighbourhood of Castle Quin when it was far from his intention to
interfere with the Earl or with Lady Mary, and thus led to the following
letter which Lady Scroope received about the middle of December,--just a
week before Fred's return to the Manor.

QUIN CASTLE, ENNISTIMON,
14 December, 18--.

MY DEAR LADY SCROOPE,

Since I wrote to you before, Mr. Neville has been here once, and we
all liked him very much. My father was quite taken with him. He is
always fond of the young officers, and is not the less inclined to