ity, when Trevannion, looking up from his writing
to dip his pen anew in the ink, caught sight of him, recognizing him
so suddenly that even his equanimity was almost surprised into a start.
He colored slightly, and coldly acknowledging his presence by a stiff
bow and a muttered "How do you do," returned to his work, not, however,
before his movement had attracted the attention of one or two others.
The intimation of his presence was conveyed almost talismanically
round the room, and a silence ensued while the young gentlemen
looked at one another for an example. These unfriendly symptoms
added considerably to Ferrers' embarrassment. Pale with anxiety,
he affected to notice nothing, and looked for a place at one of the
tables where he might lay the books he had brought in with him.
The silence, however, had made Hamilton now very conscious of what,
till this moment, he had been in blissful ignorance--that his voice
was raised to nearly a shouting pitch to make his admonitions
sufficiently impressive to his protege--and the sonorous tones
of his voice, delivering an emphatic oration on weakness and
perseverance contrasted, were so remarkable that the attention
was a little drawn from Ferrers by this unusual phenomenon.

"What a burst of eloquence!" exclaimed Frank, who, on the first sound
of the kingly voice, had begun to attitudinize; while Trevannion gazed
on his friend with a quiet, gentlemanly air of inquiry, that was not to
be put out of countenance by any circumstance how ludicrous soever,
"His majesty's in an oratorical vein to-night. Such a flow of graceful
language, earnest, mellifluous persuasives dropping like sugar-plums
from his lips!"

"Three cheers for his majesty's speech," cried Salisbury.

These comments were hailed by a hearty laugh, mingled with clapping of
hands, and an effort on the part of a few to raise a cheer. Hamilton
joined in the laugh, though he had been so intent upon his lecture that
at first he hardly comprehended the joke.

"Your majesty's been studying rhetoric since we had the pleasure of
a speech," remarked Reginald, when a little lull had succeeded to the
uproarious mirth. "Mercury himself couldn't have done better."

"Considering that the speeches of Edward the Great usually savor
of Spartan brevity," said Smith, "we couldn't have hoped for such
a masterpiece."

"You don't understand his most gracious majesty," said Frank; "depend
upon it he's a veritable cameleon."

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