e a tall, heavy man who must once have been
of the handsomest, since even yet, in spite of years, bloated face, and
careless attire, he retained a sort of dissolute beauty. He was of huge
frame and had black eyes, a red mouth, and wore his own thick and
curling though grizzled black hair.

He rode with a dare-devil grace, and his cronies greeted him with a
shout.

"He has the look of it," thought Roxholm, remembering the old stories;
but the next instant he gave a start. Across the field beyond, another
rider followed galloping, and at this moment came over the high hedge
like a swallow, and, making the leap, gave forth a laughing shout.
Roxholm sat and stared at the creature. 'Twas indeed a youthful figure,
brilliant and curious to behold in this field of slovenly clad
sportsmen. 'Twas a boy of twelve or thereabouts riding a splendid young
devil of a hunter, with a skin like black satin and a lovely, dangerous
eye. The lad was in scarlet, and no youngster of the Court was more
finely clad or fitted, and not one had Roxholm ever set eyes upon whose
youthful body and limbs were as splendid in line and symmetry; in
truth, the beauty and fire of him were things to make a man lose his
breath. He rode as if he had been born upon his horse's back and had
never sat elsewhere from his first hour, his flowing-black hair was
almost too rich and long for a boy, he had a haughty mouth for a child,
though it was a crimson bow and pouting, his complexion matched it, and
his black eyes, which were extraordinary big and flashing, had the
devil in them.

"_Pardi!_" the young Marquess cried between his teeth. "What does such
a young one in such company?" Never had he beheld a thing which moved
him with such strange suddenness of emotion. He could not have
explained the reason of his feeling, which was an actual excitement,
and caused him to turn in his saddle to watch the boy's every movement
as he galloped forward to join the reprobate group.

As they had greeted Sir Jeoffry with a shout of welcome, so they
greeted the young newcomer, but in his reception there was more
enthusiasm and laughter, as if there were some special cause for gayety
in the mere sight of him.

When he drew up in their midst their voices broke forth into a tumult
of noisy, frolicsome greeting, to which the lad gave back impudent,
laughing answer. In a moment's time he was the centre figure of
interest among them, and seemed to dominate them all as if he had