of the morning? Why ain't you at home?"

"Home," said Rawdon with a wild laugh. "Don't be frightened, Pitt. I'm
not drunk. Shut the door; I want to speak to you."

Pitt closed the door and came up to the table, where he sat down in the
other arm-chair--that one placed for the reception of the steward,
agent, or confidential visitor who came to transact business with the
Baronet--and trimmed his nails more vehemently than ever.

"Pitt, it's all over with me," the Colonel said after a pause. "I'm
done."

"I always said it would come to this," the Baronet cried peevishly, and
beating a tune with his clean-trimmed nails. "I warned you a thousand
times. I can't help you any more. Every shilling of my money is tied
up. Even the hundred pounds that Jane took you last night were
promised to my lawyer to-morrow morning, and the want of it will put me
to great inconvenience. I don't mean to say that I won't assist you
ultimately. But as for paying your creditors in full, I might as well
hope to pay the National Debt. It is madness, sheer madness, to think
of such a thing. You must come to a compromise. It's a painful thing
for the family, but everybody does it. There was George Kitely, Lord
Ragland's son, went through the Court last week, and was what they call
whitewashed, I believe. Lord Ragland would not pay a shilling for him,
and--"

"It's not money I want," Rawdon broke in. "I'm not come to you about
myself. Never mind what happens to me."

"What is the matter, then?" said Pitt, somewhat relieved.

"It's the boy," said Rawdon in a husky voice. "I want you to promise
me that you will take charge of him when I'm gone. That dear good wife
of yours has always been good to him; and he's fonder of her than he is
of his . . .--Damn it. Look here, Pitt--you know that I was to have
had Miss Crawley's money. I wasn't brought up like a younger brother,
but was always encouraged to be extravagant and kep idle. But for this
I might have been quite a different man. I didn't do my duty with the
regiment so bad. You know how I was thrown over about the money, and
who got it."

"After the sacrifices I have made, and the manner in which I have stood
by you, I think this sort of reproach is useless," Sir Pitt said.
"Your marriage was your own doing, not mine."

"That's over now," said Rawdon. "That's over now." And the words were
wrenched from him with a groan, which made his brother start.

"Good God! is sh