eived with great
friendliness when he called the next day, when many civilities passed
between the gentlemen. On taking leave he expressed his anxious desire
to serve Miss Costigan on any occasion in which he could be useful to
her, and he shook hands with Mr. Foker most cordially and gratefully,
and said that gentleman had done him the very greatest service.

"All right," said Mr. Foker: and they parted with mutual esteem.

On his return to Fairoaks the next day, Major Pendennis did not say what
had happened to him on the previous night, or allude to the company in
which he had passed it. But he engaged Mr. Smirke to stop to dinner; and
any person accustomed to watch his manner might have remarked that there
was something constrained in his hilarity and talkativeness, and that
he was unusually gracious and watchful in his communications with his
nephew. He gave Pen an emphatic God-bless-you when the lad went to bed;
and as they were about to part for the night, he seemed as if he was
going to say something to Mrs. Pendennis, but he bethought him that if
he spoke he might spoil her night's rest, and allowed her to sleep in
peace.

The next morning he was down in the breakfast-room earlier than was his
custom, and saluted everybody there with great cordiality. The post
used to arrive commonly about the end of this meal. When John, the old
servant, entered, and discharged the bag of its letters and papers, the
Major looked hard at Pen as the lad got his--Arthur blushed, and put his
letter down. He knew the hand, it was that of old Costigan, and he did
not care to read it in public. Major Pendennis knew the letter, too. He
had put it into the post himself in Chatteris the day before.

He told little Laura to go away, which the child did, having a thorough
dislike to him; and as the door closed on her, he took Mrs. Pendennis's
hand, and giving her a look full of meaning, pointed to the letter under
the newspaper which Pen was pretending to read. "Will you come into the
drawing-room?" he said. "I want to speak to you." And she followed him,
wondering, into the hall.

"What is it?" she said nervously.

"The affair is at an end," Major Pendennis said. "He has a letter there
giving him his dismissal. I dictated it myself yesterday. There are a
few lines from the lady, too, bidding him farewell. It is all over."

Helen ran back to the dining-room, her brother following. Pen had jumped
at his letter the instant they were g