the good
influences of Lettice, had been speaking in high terms of their late
guest. And when Edgar came in and sat down in the circle, spreading his
hands to the fire, and looking very comfortable, the general, in an
amicable tone, began:

"Really, Edgar, we have been saying we are quite obliged to you for
introducing to us so agreeable a man as this Mr. St. Leger, of yours. He
is quite a find in such a stupid neighborhood as ours, where, during the
ten years I have lived in it, I have never met one _resident_"--with an
emphasis upon the word, that it might not be supposed to include Edgar
himself--"one _resident_ whose company I thought worth a brass
farthing."

"I am very glad my friend gives satisfaction, sir," said Edgar
cheerfully; "for I believe, poor fellow, he has much more to seek than
even yourself, general, in the article of companionship. One can not
think that the society of the worthy Mr. Thomas can afford much of
interest to a man like St. Leger. But whatever pleasure you may mutually
afford each other will soon be at an end, I fear; and I have been
beating my brains all the way coming home, to think what must be done."

"Why must the pleasure come so soon to an end, Edgar?" asked Mrs.
Melwyn.

"Why, if something can't be done, the poor lad is in a fair way to be
starved to death," was the answer.

"Starved to death! How shockingly you do talk, Edgar," cried Mrs.
Melwyn. "I wish you would not say such things--you make one quite start.
The idea is too horrible--besides, it can not be true. People don't
starve to death nowadays--at least not in a sort of case like that."

"I don't know--such things do sound as if they couldn't be true--and
yet," said Catherine, "they do come very nearly to the truth at times."

"Indeed do they," said Lettice. "Starved to death," observed the
general, "I take to be merely a poetic exaggeration of yours, captain.
But do you mean to say that young man is literally in distressed
circumstances?"

"The most urgently distressing circumstances, sir. The fact is, that he
inherited nothing from his father but a most scandalous list of debts,
which he most honorably sold every farthing of his own little property
to pay--relying for his subsistance upon the small stipend be was to
receive from Mr. Thomas. You don't like Mr. Thomas, sir."

"Who would like such a stupid old drone?"

"He's a worthy old fellow, nevertheless. Though his living is a very
poor one, he has acted