r and
not offering to marry her,--though even that sort of thing isn't much
to my taste. But, by George, to make an offer of marriage to such
a girl as that in September, to live for a month in her family as
her affianced husband, and then coolly go away to another house in
October, and make an offer to another girl of higher rank--"

"You know very well that that has had nothing to do with it."

"It looks very like it. And how are you going to communicate these
tidings to Miss Dale?"

"I don't know," said Crosbie, who was beginning to be very sore.

"And you have quite made up your mind that you'll stick to the earl's
daughter?"

The idea of jilting Alexandrina instead of Lily had never as yet
presented itself to Crosbie, and now, as he thought of it, he could
not perceive that it was feasible.

"Yes," he said, "I shall marry Lady Alexandrina;--that is, if I do
not cut the whole concern, and my own throat into the bargain."

"If I were in your shoes I think I should cut the whole concern. I
could not stand it. What do you mean to say to Miss Dale's uncle?"

"I don't care a ---- for Miss Dale's uncle," said, Crosbie. "If he
were to walk in at that door this moment, I would tell him the whole
story, without--"

As he was yet speaking, one of the club servants opened the door of
the smoking-room, and seeing Crosbie seated in a lounging-chair near
the fire, went up to him with a gentleman's card. Crosbie took the
card and read the name. "Mr Dale, Allington."

"The gentleman is in the waiting-room," said the servant.

Crosbie for the moment was struck dumb. He had declared that very
moment that he should feel no personal disinclination to meet Mr
Dale, and now that gentleman was within the walls of the club,
waiting to see him!

"Who's that?" asked Pratt. And then Crosbie handed him the card.
"Whew-w-w-hew," whistled Pratt.

"Did you tell the gentleman I was here?" asked Crosbie.

"I said I thought you were upstairs, sir."

"That will do," said Pratt. "The gentleman will no doubt wait for a
minute." And then the servant went out of the room. "Now, Crosbie,
you must make up your mind. By one of these women and all her friends
you will ever be regarded as a rascal, and they of course will look
out to punish you with such punishment as may come to their hands.
You must now choose which shall be the sufferer."

The man was a coward at heart. The reflection that he might, even
now, at this moment, meet the o