ntains.

At Melloon, Stanley was very glad to meet his cousin again, for the
47th had been left in garrison there. Harry had been down again,
with a sharp attack of fever, but was now recovering.

"So it is all over, Stanley, and your chances of an earldom have
nearly slipped through your fingers."

"I am glad, indeed, that it is so," Stanley laughed, "in the first
place, because I could only have succeeded to it at your death; and
in the second place, because I have no ambition, whatever, for a
title. I am not nineteen yet, and should greatly prefer to make my
own way, than to find myself with nothing whatever to do, except to
spend money as it dropped into my lap.

"Now that everything is settled, and that Aracan has become
English, and we have the seaports on the Tenasserim coast, trade
will increase tremendously. You may be sure that the Burmese will
be only too glad to flock into our provinces, and to live under a
fair rule, to escape the tyranny of their own officials; and my
uncle is just the man to take advantage of the new openings. I
don't say that I want to live out here all my life. At any rate, I
hope by the time that I am thirty, to be able to come home for a
year's holiday; and it is just possible that, by then, we may have
grown into such a big firm that we may establish headquarters in
London, instead of getting all our goods from Calcutta.

"There is certain to be a very big trade here, in teak alone. The
price in Pegue is a great deal below that in India and, if we had a
house in London, we should avoid having to pay commissions, and
perhaps get better prices for our wood. Of course, my uncle may by
that time think of retiring himself and, in that case, I might have
to stay somewhat longer out here; but I know that he likes the
climate, and I have heard him say that, as he has very few
acquaintances in England, he thinks that he should prefer a life in
Calcutta to one in London."

"I should not wonder if I go home, very shortly," Harry said. "My
last letter told me that my uncle was in failing health, and that
he would like to have me at home with him. If the next letter
confirms that, I am afraid I shall have either to resign my
commission, or exchange into a regiment at home. Of course, at his
death I should have to leave the army, anyhow. It would be
ridiculous for a subaltern to be an earl; besides, there are things
one would have to do. I suppose there are estates to be looked
after, and