l world!'

'You will have the honour of a sitting this afternoon, I suppose,
from both beauties?'

'I hope so, for my own sake. There is no path left to immortality,
or bread either, now for us poor artists but portrait-painting.'

'I envy you your path, when it leads through such Elysiums,' said
Lancelot.

'Come here, gentlemen both!' cried Argemone from the bridge.

'Fairly caught!' grumbled Lancelot. 'You must go, at least; my
lameness will excuse me, I hope.'

The two ladies were accompanied by Bracebridge, a gazelle which he
had given Argemone, and a certain miserable cur of Honoria's
adopting, who plays an important part in this story, and, therefore,
deserves a little notice. Honoria had rescued him from a watery
death in the village pond, by means of the colonel, who had revenged
himself for a pair of wet feet by utterly corrupting the dog's
morals, and teaching him every week to answer to some fresh
scandalous name.

But Lancelot was not to escape. Instead of moving on, as he had
hoped, the party stood looking over the bridge, and talking--he took
for granted, poor thin-skinned fellow--of him. And for once his
suspicions were right; for he overheard Argemone say--

'I wonder how Mr. Smith can be so rude as to sit there in my
presence over his stupid perch! Smoking those horrid cigars, too!
How selfish those field-sports do make men!'

'Thank you!' said the colonel, with a low bow. Lancelot rose.

'If a country girl, now, had spoken in that tone,' said he to
himself, 'it would have been called at least "saucy"--but Mammon's
elect ones may do anything. Well--here I come, limping to my new
tyrant's feet, like Goethe's bear to Lili's.'

She drew him away, as women only know how, from the rest of the
party, who were chatting and laughing with Claude. She had shown
off her fancied indifference to Lancelot before them, and now began
in a softer voice--

'Why will you be so shy and lonely, Mr. Smith?'

'Because I am not fit for your society.'

'Who tells you so? Why will you not become so?'

Lancelot hung down his head.

'As long as fish and game are your only society, you will become
more and more morne and self-absorbed.'

'Really fish were the last things of which I was thinking when you
came. My whole heart was filled with the beauty of nature, and
nothing else.'

There was an opening for one of Argemone's preconcerted orations.

'Had you no better occu