of Catch, to say nothing of Bond Sharpe, and above all, Count Mirabel,
fresh in his mind, he could not complain of his companions. Glastonbury
was indeed a friend, but Ferdinand sighed for a friend of his own
age, knit to him by the same tastes and sympathies, and capable of
comprehending all his secret feelings; a friend who could even whisper
hope, and smile in a spunging-house.

The day wore away, the twilight shades were descending; Ferdinand became
every moment more melancholy, when suddenly his constant ally, the
waiter, rushed into the room. 'My eye, sir, here is a regular nob
enquiring for you. I told you it would be all right.'

'Who is it?'

'Here he is coming up.'

Ferdinand caught the triumphant tones of Mirabel on the staircase.

'Which is the room? Show me directly. Ah! Armine, _mon ami! mon cher!_
Is this your friendship? To be in this cursed hole, and not send for
me! _C'est une mauvaise plaisanterie_ to pretend we are friends! How are
you, good fellow, fine fellow, excellent Armine? If you were not here
I would quarrel with you. There, go away, man.' The waiter disappeared,
and Count Mirabel seated himself on the hard sofa.

'My dear fellow,' continued the Count, twirling the prettiest cane in
the world, 'this is a _betise_ of you to be here and not send for me.
Who has put you here?'

'My dear Mirabel, it is all up.'

'Pah! How much is it?'

'I tell you I am done up. It has got about that the marriage is off,
and Morris and Levison have nabbed me for all the arrears of my cursed
annuities.'

'But how much?'

'Between two and three thousand.'

The Count Mirabel gave a whistle.

'I brought five hundred, which I have. We must get the rest somehow or
other.'

'My dear Mirabel, you are the most generous fellow in the world; but I
have troubled my friends too much. Nothing will induce me to take a sou
from you. Besides, between ourselves, not my least mortification at this
moment is some 1,500L., which Bond Sharpe let me have the other day for
nothing, through Catch.'

'Pah! I am sorry about that, though, because he would have lent us this
money. I will ask Bevil.'

'I would sooner die.'

'I will ask him for myself.'

'It is impossible.'

'We will arrange it: I tell you who will do it for us. He is a good
fellow, and immensely rich: it is Fitzwarrene; he owes me great
favours.'

'Dear Mirabel, I am delighted to see you. This is good and kind. I am so
damned dull here. It quite gl