ving fallen suddenly into so melancholy a condition was
droll enough. "But he never spoke to me," said Ayala. "He doesn't
speak very much to any one," said the Colonel, "but he thinks a great
deal about things. He has had ever so many affairs with ever so many
ladies, who generally, I fancy, want to marry him because of his
money. How he has escaped so long nobody knows." A man when he has
just engaged himself to be married is as prone as ever to talk of
other men "escaping," feeling that, though other young ladies were no
better than evils to be avoided, his young lady is to be regarded as
almost a solitary instance of a blessing. Then, two days afterwards,
arrived the news of the trip to Ostend. Sir Harry received a letter
from a friend in which an account was given of his half-brother's
adventure. "What do you think has happened?" said Sir Harry, jumping
up from his chair at the breakfast table.

"What has happened?" asked his wife.

"Benjamin has run off to Ostend with a young lady."

"Benjamin,--with a young lady!" exclaimed Lady Albury. Ayala and
Stubbs were equally astonished, each of them knowing that the
Captain had been excluded from Stalham because of the ardour of his
unfortunate love for Ayala. "Ayala, that is your doing!"

"No!" said Ayala. "But I am very glad if he's happy."

"Who is the young lady?" asked Stubbs.

"It is that which makes it so very peculiar," said Sir Harry, looking
at Ayala. He had learned something of the Tringle family, and was
aware of Ayala's connection with them.

"Who is it, Harry?" demanded her ladyship.

"Sir Thomas Tringle's younger daughter."

"Gertrude!" exclaimed Ayala, who also knew of the engagement with Mr.
Houston.

"But the worst of it is," continued Sir Harry, "that he is not at
all happy. The young lady has come back, while nobody knows what has
become of Benjamin."

"Benjamin never will get a wife," said Lady Albury. Thus all the
details of the little event became known at Stalham,--except the
immediate condition and whereabouts of the lover.

Of the Captain's condition and whereabouts something must be told.
When the great disruption came, and he had been abused and ridiculed
by Sir Thomas at Ostend, he felt that he could neither remain there
where the very waiters knew what had happened, nor could he return
to Dover in the same vessel with Sir Thomas and his daughter. He
therefore took the first train and went to Brussels.

But Brussels did not off