ittle of the sporting gossip of the day, whilst their womankind
indulged in more general, and equally intellectual, country gossip. Some
of the young men stayed to dinner, and when Miss Simpson had duly played
her waltzes, and Netta had gone through her French songs, _vingt-et-un_
was proposed.

Owen took his customary place by Madame Duvet, and played his usual
game. But he had not the luck of the previous evening, and soon lost the
five pounds he then won, and very nearly the little he possessed
besides. When he knew that he was within a few shillings of bankruptcy
he said,--

'I am very sorry to leave such agreeable society, but if I play any more
I shall never get to sea. Look at my purse!' holding it up and shaking
it, 'it is very nearly empty.'

'Luck will change,' said Madame Duvet. 'You shall go partners with me,'
pointing to a large heap of money and counters.

'I should be only too happy if I could bring anything to the bank, said
Owen; 'but I am too proud to be a penniless partner.'

'You need only bring yourself,' said Madame Duvet, lowering her voice,
and giving such a glance from a pair of fine black eyes as few men could
have withstood.

Perhaps Owen would have yielded to it, for he was by no means a hero,
had not a sudden vision of Gladys passed before his mind, followed by
one of his mother, just as he had seen her when she bade him that last
solemn good-night only the Tuesday in that very week. How the vision
came he knew not, nor did he pause to ask; but it gave him strength to
resist the temptation to begin regular gambling, a vice he had hitherto
steadily avoided.

'No,' he said, with a merry laugh; 'I cannot afford to run into debt.'

'Mortgage those entailed farms of yours,' said Howel. 'I wouldn't mind
lending you a trifle on them.'

'And I will lend you five pounds without a mortgage,' said Netta.

'Can't afford to borrow or mortgage,' laughed Owen. 'Besides it is
nearly Sunday morning, and we must all break up directly,' so he slipped
away from his seat, looked on for a few minutes, and when the party were
again absorbed in their game, went to bed.

'Well,' he thought; 'I am not as particular as I ought to be, I know,
myself; but to play cards into Sunday morning! I could not do this. What
would my poor mother say of Netta if she knew it? I will have a serious
conversation with her to-morrow, when I suppose she will have an hour to
spare, and be off on Monday. I almost wish I had n