ell," said Valencia, tripping out on the
lawn in her walking dress. "Why has he not been here an hour ago? I will
undertake to say that he was up at four this morning."

"He waits to be invited, I suppose," said Scoutbush.

"I suppose I must do it," said Elsley to himself, sighing.

"Just like his primness," said Valencia. "I shall go down and bring him
up myself this minute, and Mr. Vavasour shall come with me. Of course
you will! You do not know what a delightful person he is, when once you
can break the ice."

Elsley, like most vain men, was of a jealous temper; and Valencia's
eagerness to see Major Campbell jarred on him. He wanted to keep the
exquisite creature to himself, and Headley was quite enough of an
intruder already. Beside, the accounts of the new comer, his learning,
his military prowess, the reverence with which all, even Scoutbush,
evidently regarded him, made him prepared to dislike the Major; and all
the more, now he heard that there was an ice-crust to crack. Impulsive
men like Elsley, especially when their self-respect and certainty of
their own position is not very strong, have instinctively a defiant fear
of the strong, calm, self-contained man, especially if he has seen the
world; and Elsley set down Major Campbell as a proud, sarcastic fellow,
before whom he must be at the pains of being continually on his guard.
He wished him a hundred miles away. However, there was no refusing
Valencia anything; so he got his hat, but with so bad a grace, that
Valencia saw his chagrin, and from mere naughtiness of heart amused
herself with it by talking all the way of nothing but Major Campbell.

"And Lucia," she said at last, "will be so glad to see him again. We
knew him so well, you know, in Eaton Square years ago."

"Really," said Elsley, wincing, "I never met him there." He recollected
that Lucia had expressed more pleasure at Major Campbell's coming than
even, at that of her brother; and a dark, undefined phantom entered his
heart, which, though he would have been too proud to confess it to
himself, was none other than jealousy.

"Oh--did you not? No; it was the year before we first knew you. And we
used to laugh at him together, behind his back, and christened him the
wild Indian, because he was so gauche and shy. He was a major in the
Indian army then: but a few months afterwards he sold out, went into the
line--no one could tell why, for he threw away very brilliant
prospects, they say, and mig