ly, do you?"

"Well, I 'm afraid I did," said she, with a little simper that seemed to
say, What did it signify either way?

"They'd have made a most unlucky selection in my case," said Tony,
laughing, "if such had been the duty."

"Do you think you shall like it?"

"I suppose I shall. There is so very little I 'm really fit for, that I
look on this appointment as a piece of rare luck."

"I fancy I 'd rather have gone into the army,--a cavalry regiment, for
instance."

"The most wasteful and extravagant career a young fellow could select,"
said Sir Arthur, smarting under some recent and not over-pleasant
experiences.

"The uniform is so becoming too," said she, languidly.

"It is far and away beyond any pretension of my humble fortune, Madam,"
said Tony, proudly, for there was an impertinent carelessness in her
manner that stung him to the quick.

"Ah, yes," sighed she; "and the army, too, is not the profession for one
who wants to marry."

Tony again felt his cheek on fire, but he did not utter a word as she
went on, "And report says something like this of you, Mr. Butler."

"What, Tony! how is this? I never heard of it before," cried Sir Arthur.

"Nor I, sir."

"Come, come. It is very indiscreet of me, I know," said Lady Lyle; "but
as we are in such a secret committee here at this moment, I fancied I
might venture to offer my congratulations."

"Congratulations! on what would be the lad's ruin! Why, it would be
downright insanity. I trust there is not a word of truth in it."

"I repeat, sir, that I hear it all for the first time."

"I conclude, then, I must have been misinformed."

"Might I be bold enough to ask from what quarter the rumor reached you,
or with whom they mated me?"

"Oh, as to your choice, I hear she is a very nice girl indeed, admirably
brought up and well educated,--everything but rich; but of course that
fact was well known to you. Men in her father's position are seldom
affluent."

"And who could possibly have taken the trouble to weave all this romance
about me?" said Tony, flushing not the less deeply that he suspected it
was Dolly Stewart who was indicated by the description.

"One of the girls, I forget which, told me. Where she learned it, I
forget, if I ever knew; but I remember that the story had a sort of
completeness about it that looked like truth." Was it accident or
intention that made Lady Lyle fix her eyes steadily on Tony as she
spoke? As she did so, his col