of conversation with the remaining
ladies. "Look, Cecile!" said Miss Halbert; "Marjorie is actually joining
the waders. "Mr. Lamb stroked his whisker-moustache and remarked: "Haw,
you know, thot's nothing new for Morjorie; when we were childron
together, we awften went poddling about in creeks for crowfish and
minnows." Then he had the impertinence to stroll down to the brook, and
rally the new addition to the crawfishing party. To Coristine the whole
thing was gall and wormwood. The only satisfaction he had was, that Mr.
Lamb could not summon courage enough to divest himself of shoes and
stockings and take part in the sport personally. But what an
insufferable ass he, Coristine, had been not to keep on wading, in view
of such glorious company! What was the use of complaining: had he been
there she would never have gone in, trust her for that! Wilkinson and he
were right in their old compact: the female sex is a delusion and a
snare. Thank heaven! there's the prayer gong, but will that staring,
flat-footed, hawhawing, Civil Service idiot be looking on while she
reattires herself! He had half a mind to descend and brain him on the
spot, if he had any brains, so as to render impossible the woeful
calamity. But the fates were merciful, sending Mr. Lamb up with Marjorie
and Mr. Bigglethorpe. Now was the angry man's chance, and a rare one,
but, like an angry man, he did not seize it. The other two ladies
remarked to each other that it was not very polite of three gentlemen to
allow a lady, the last of the party, to come up the hill alone. What did
he care?

At breakfast, Miss Carmichael sat between Messrs. Bigglethorpe and Lamb,
and the lawyer between Miss Halbert and the veteran. "Who are going
fishing to the lakes," asked the Squire, to which question the doctor
replied, regretting his inability; and the colonel declined the
invitation on account of his dear boy. Mr. Lamb intimated that he had
business with Miss Du Plessis on Crown Land matters, as the department
wished to get back into its possession the land owned by her. This was a
bombshell in the camp. Miss Du Plessis declined to have any conference
on the subject, referring the civil servant to her uncle, to Squire
Carruthers, and to her solicitor, Mr. Coristine. The lawyer was disposed
to be liberal in politics, although his friend Wilkinson was a strong
Conservative; but the contemptible meanness of a Government department
attempting to retire property deeded and p