ing his exercise. Hamilton,
am I not right?"

Hamilton nodded.

"Dr. Wilkinson will do justice to-morrow," said Reginald, as after
a moment's painful silence he looked up with assumed confidence,
and turned proudly away from Ferrers' reassured look of exultation,
though the latter hardly dared exult, for he thought Reginald had
mistaken the book, and feared the suspicions that might rest on
himself when it should be discovered that it was not a second-class
key. "And now, Mortimer, let's have no more of this violent language,"
said Hamilton. "If the matter is to come before the doctor, he will
do all justice; let him be sole arbitrator; but I would not bring it
before him were I in your place. Make an apology to Ferrers, and say
nothing more. You will do your brother more harm than good."

"_Make an apology_," said Reginald, ironically; "I haven't changed
my mind yet. It must come before the doctor. Mr. Witworth found the
book, and has carried it by this time, or certainly will carry it,
to head-quarters."

"Come along with me, and tell me the whole affair," said Hamilton.

While Reginald was unfolding the matter to Hamilton, the party they had
left was reinforced by Frank Digby, who warmly took Ferrers' part, and
enlightened the company as to many particulars of his cousin's former
character: and so much was said about the injury Reginald had done to
Ferrers by his suspicions, that when that youth discovered the certainty
of the mistake he had made, he was so far involved as to render it
impossible to him to acknowledge that even out of a spirit of teasing
he had placed the book near Louis; and his anxiety was so great to free
himself from any suspicion, that he was selfishly and ungenerously
insensible to the trouble entailed upon Louis, whom he disliked on
account of his superiority to himself, but on whom he had not seriously
contemplated inflicting so great an injury--so imperceptibly does one
fault lead to another, so unable are we to decide where the effects of
one false step, one dishonest thought, shall end.

The story was soon spread among Louis' immediate companions, who were
anxious to learn the cause of his swollen eyes and sad demeanor, and
Louis had to endure many sneers, and, what was still harder to bear,
much silent contempt from those whose high sense of honor made them
despise any approach to the meanness of which he was supposed guilty.
Hamilton, though in the study the whole evening, took no