a war-horse.

'He said you had not given it to him.'

'That is true since we came to this place. I have had no intercourse
with Mr. Dallas for a long time; not since we moved into our present
quarters; and our address _here_ he does not know, I suppose. He ceased
writing to me, and of course I ceased writing to him. From you we have
never heard at all, since we came to New York.'

'But I wrote, sir,' said Pitt, in growing embarrassment and
bewilderment. 'I wrote repeatedly.'

'What do you suppose became of your letters?'

'I cannot say. I wrote letter after letter, till, getting no answer, I
was obliged to think it was in vain; and I too stopped writing.'

'Where did you direct your letters?'

'Not to your address here, which I did not know. I enclosed them to my
father, supposing he did know it, and begged him to forward them.'

'I never got them,' said the colonel, with that same dry accentuation.
It implied doubt of somebody; and could Pitt blame him? He kept a
mortified silence for a few minutes. He felt terribly put in the wrong,
and undeservedly; and--but he tried not to think.

'I am afraid to ask, what you thought of me, sir?'

'Well, I confess, I thought it was not just like the old William Dallas
that I used to know; or rather, not like the _young_ William. I
supposed you had grown old; and with age comes wisdom. That is the
natural course of things.'

'You did me injustice, Colonel Gainsborough.'

'I am willing to think it. But it is somewhat difficult.'

'Take my word at least for this. I have never forgotten. I have never
neglected. I sought for you as long as possible, and in every way that
was possible, whenever I was in this country. I left off writing, but
it was because writing seemed useless. I have come now in pursuance of
my old promise; come on the mere chance of finding you; which, however,
I was determined to do.'

'Your promise?'

'You surely remember? The promise I made you, that I would come to look
for you when I was free, and if I was not so happy as to find _you_,
would take care of Esther.'

'Well, I am here yet,' said the colonel meditatively. 'I did not expect
it, but here I am. You are quit of your promise.'

'I have not desired that, sir.'

'Well, that count is disposed of, and I am glad to see you.' (But Pitt
did not feel the truth of the declaration.) 'Now tell me about
yourself.'

In response to which followed a long account of Pitt's past, present,
and fut