ays annoyance.

"A heartless mischievous woman!" said Julius.

Rosamond cocked up her left eyebrow with an ineffably droll look,
which encouraged Charlie to say, "Such fierceness can only be
prompted by personal experience. Look out, Rosamond!"

"Come 'fess, Julius," said she, merrily. "'Fess and make it up."

"I--I have nothing to confess," said Julius, seriously.

"Hasn't he indeed?" said she, looking at the brothers.

"Oh! don't ask us," said Charlie. "His youthful indiscretions were
over long before our eyes had risen above the horizon!"

"Do you mean that they have really come home to live here?" demanded
Julius, with singular indifference to the personal insinuations.

"I am sorry it is so painful to you," said I Frank, somewhat
ironically; "but Sir Harry thinks it right to return and end his
days among his own people."

"Is he ill, then?"

"I can't gratify you so far," returned Frank; "he is a fine old
fellow of sixty-five. Just what humbugging papers call a regular
specimen of an old English gentleman," he added to Cecil.

"Humbugging indeed, I should hope," muttered Julius. "The old
English gentleman has reason to complain!"

"There's the charity of the clergy!" exclaimed Frank. "No
forgiveness for a man who has spent a little in his youth!"

"As an essential of the old English gentleman?" asked Julius.

"At any rate, the poor old fellow has been punished enough," said
Charlie.

"But what is it? Tell me all about it," said Cecil. "I am sure my
father would not wish me to associate with dissipated people."

"Ah! Cecil," said Rosamond. "You'll have to take refuge with the
military, after all!"

"It is just this," said Charlie. "Sir Harry and his only son were
always extravagant, one as bad as the other--weren't they, Julius?
Phil Bowater told me all about it, and how Tom Vivian lost fifteen
thousand pounds one Derby Day, and was found dead in his chambers
the next morning, they said from an over-dose of chloroform for
neuralgia. Then the estate was so dipped that Sir Harry had to give
up the estate to his creditors, and live on an allowance abroad or
at watering-places till now, when he has managed to come home. That
is to say, the house is really leased to Lady Tyrrell, and he is in
a measure her guest--very queer it must be for him in his own
house."

"Is Lady Tyrrell _that_ woman?" asked Rosamond.

"I conclude so," said Charlie. "She was the eldest daughter, and
married L