ste any of your oaths
upon that poor woman," he added, holding up his finger, and smiling
sadly. "She thinks I deceived her, though Heaven knows it was myself I
deceived. She has great influence over Rosa. Very few persons can resist
that violent and headstrong woman, sir. I could not bear her reproaches,
or my poor sick daughter, whom her mother leads almost entirely now, and
it was with all this grief on my mind, that, as I was walking one day
upon Brighton cliff, I met my schoolfellow, my Lord H----, who has
ever been a good friend of mine--and who told me how he had just been
appointed a governor of Grey Friars. He asked me to dine with him on
the next day, and would take no refusal. He knew of my pecuniary
misfortunes, of course--and showed himself most noble and liberal in his
offers of help. I was very much touched by his goodness, Pen,--and made
a clean breast of it to his lordship; who at first would not hear of
my coming to this place--and offered me out of the purse of an old
brother-schoolfellow and an old brother soldier as much--as much as
should last me my time. Wasn't it noble of him, Arthur? God bless him!
There are good men in the world, sir, there are true friends, as I have
found in these later days. Do you know, sir"--here the old man's eyes
twinkled,--"that Fred Bayham fixed up that bookcase yonder--and brought
me my little boy's picture to hang up? Boy and Clive will come and see
me soon."

"Do you mean they do not come?" I cried.

"They don't know I am here, sir," said the Colonel, with a sweet, kind
smile. "They think I am visiting his lordship in Scotland. Ah! they
are good people! When we had had a talk downstairs over our bottle of
claret--where my old commander-in-chief would not hear of my plan--we
went upstairs to her ladyship, who saw that her husband was disturbed,
and asked the reason. I dare say it was the good claret that made me
speak, sir; for I told her that I and her husband had had a dispute and
that I would take her ladyship for umpire. And then I told her the story
over, that I had paid away every rupee to the creditors, and mortgaged
my pensions and retiring allowances for the same end, that I was a
burden upon Clivey, who had enough, poor boy, to keep his own family,
and his wife's mother, whom my imprudence had impoverished,--that here
was an honourable asylum which my friend could procure for me, and
was not that better than to drain his purse? She was very much moved,
si