ivilege into the other world with him.
Malzahn knew he might trust his skill, and fired the very instant he
took his ground. The moral of which is, always try and have first fire
with a foreigner."

"I heard the sound of wheels behind us; who are they?" said George, not
heeding either the story or the counsel.

"The doctor, I suspect. I ordered a calessino to wait for him at the
door of the palace, and bring him up as fast as possible."

"If Guilmard be equal to his reputation, we shall not want his
services," said Onslow, with a faint smile.

"Who can tell? We 'll put you up at a short distance; and there 's
nothing shakes the nerves of your practised pistol-shot more than ten or
twelve paces."

The road here became so steep that they were obliged to get down and
walk for some distance, while the horse toiled slowly up behind them. As
they went, Norwood continued to talk on incessantly of this, that, and
t' other, as though bound to occupy the attention of his companion;
while George, with half-closed eyes, strolled onward, deep in his own
thoughts.

"We 're not far off the place now, George," said Norwood, at last, "and
I wish you 'd throw off that look of care and abstraction. These foreign
fellows will be quite ready to misinterpret it. Seem at your ease, man,
and take the thing as I have seen you take it before, as rather good fun
than otherwise."

"But that is precisely what I do not feel it," said George, smiling
quietly. "Twenty-four hours ago, when life had every possible advantage
to bestow on me, with the prospect of an ample fortune before me, I was
perfectly ready to turn out with any man who had the right to ask me;
and now that I am ruined--"

"Ruined!" broke in Norwood; "what do you mean? You have not lost to that
Greek fellow so largely as that?"

"Now that my father is on the verge of utter ruin," repeated George,
slowly, "the news came last night, I never felt the desire of life so
strong within me. A few days or weeks more will make it public gossip,
so I may tell you that we have not escaped the torrent that is sweeping
away so many of the richest houses in Europe; and what between our
immense liabilities and my father's scrupulous sense of honor, the
chances are we shall be utterly beggared."

"The devil!" exclaimed Norwood, whose thoughts at once reverted to his
own claims on George, and the unpaid acceptances he still held of his.

"That's what I feel so strange," said George, now s