r life and death?" roared the sick man.

"I suppose you could for life and death," said Hunter,--with a little
caution.

"For his own death he could," said Edith. "But it's the death of
other people that he is thinking of now."

"And you, what are you thinking of?"

"To tell the truth, just at this moment I was thinking of yours. You
are here under our keeping, and as long as you remain so, we are
bound to do what we can to keep you from killing yourself; you ought
to be in your bed."

"Tucked up all round,--and you ought to be giving me gruel." Then
Hunter simpered and went away. He generally did go away when the
love-scenes began.

"You could give one something which would cure me instantly."

"No, I could not! There are no such instant cures known in the
medical world for a man who has had a hole right through him."

"That bullet will certainly be immortal."

"But you will not if you talk of going up to Dublin."

"Edith, a kiss would cure me."

"Captain Clayton, you are in circumstances which should prevent you
from alluding to any such thing. I am here to nurse you, and I should
not be insulted."

"That is true," he said. "And if it be an insult to tell you what a
kiss would do for me, I withdraw the word. But the feeling it would
convey, that you had in truth given yourself to me, that you were
really, really my own, would I think cure me, though a dozen bullets
had gone through me."

Then when Ada had come down, Edith went to her bedroom, and kissed
the pillow, instead of him. Oh, if it might be granted to her to go
to him, and frankly to confess, that she was all, all his own! And
she felt, as days went on, she would have to yield, though honour
still told her that she should never do so.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE NEW ARISTOCRACY FAILS.

From this moment the mystery of the new aristocracy began to fade
away, and get itself abolished. Men and women began to feel that
there might be something worse in store for them than the old course
of policemen, juries, and judges. It had seemed, at first, as though
these evil things could be brought to an end, and silenced altogether
as far as their blessed country was concerned. A time was coming in
which everyone was to do as he pleased, without any fear that another
should tell of him. Though a man should be seen in the broad daylight
cutting the tails off half a score of oxen it would be recognised
in the neighbourhood as no more than a fair act o