velously
exquisite, that they attracted his eyes, as long as he dared to fix them
without risking a stare; and kept his thoughts busy till he saw her
again. "_Caramba!_" he muttered, half aloud. "I don't wonder at any one
who has seen _that_ not looking at a nautch-girl afterward." And he
quickened his pace toward Mr. Molyneux's house. He met them before he
reached their door.

"I am going to Miss Tresilyan," Fanny said. "Isn't it lucky, her first
morning here being such a delicious one?"

"Ah! I thought that was your point," answered Keene. "There must be a
tremendous amount of 'gushing' to be got through still: the accumulation
of--how many months? I suppose you only took the rough edge off last
night. Don't hurt her, please, that's all. And, Hal, you were actually
going to preside over the meeting of two young hearts, and gloat over
their emotions, and spoil their innocent amusements? I wonder at you.
Means well, Mrs. Molyneux; but he's _so_ thoughtless."

Fanny laughed. "I think I could do without him. But we mean to walk this
afternoon, and he may come then; and you too, Major Keene, if you are
good."

"I'll enter into all sorts of recognizances to keep the peace," was the
reply; "but I should have thought you might trust me by this time. It's
that excitable husband of yours that wants disciplining. I'll give him
some soda-water by way of a precaution. Then, when you have sacrificed
to friendship sufficiently, you will lionize Miss Tresilyan? The Castle
first, of course. Shall we meet you there at two?"

Harry did not quite see the thing in this light, and looked slightly
disappointed; but he yielded the point, as he always did, and went away
dutifully with his superior officer.

"Describe the brother," the latter said, abruptly, when they had gone a
few steps.

"Well, I believe he's the most ignorant man in Great Britain," answered
Molyneux: "that's his _specialite_. He never had much education; and he
has been trying to forget that little, 'hard all,' ever since he was
eighteen. You remember how our fellows used to laugh at me about my
epistles? I could give him 21lb., and a beating any day. They say, two
men have to stand over him whenever he tries to write a letter, for no
_one_ is strong enough to keep him straight in his spelling and grammar.
If he tries it on alone, he gets bewildered in the second sentence, and
wanders up and down, knocking his head against particles and parts of
speech, like the m