ere for the nonce in the Colonel's mind more
imperative. Though his Royal Highness had been coming that afternoon
to inspect all the troops, still he would have resolved so to have
arranged matters as to travel down with Ayala to Stalham. But not
only was he determined to do this, but he found it necessary also to
arrange a previous meeting with Lady Albury before that important
twentieth of the month. This he did by making his friend believe that
her presence in London for a few hours would be necessary for various
reasons. She came up as he desired, and there he met her at her
hotel in Jermyn Street. On his arrival here he felt that he was
almost making a fool of himself by the extent of his anxiety. In his
nervousness about this little girl he was almost as insane as poor
Tom Tringle, who, when she despised his love, was altogether unable
to control himself. "If I cannot persuade her at last, I shall be
knocking somebody over the head, as he did." It was thus he was
talking to himself as he got out of the cab at the door of the hotel.

"And now, Jonathan," said Lady Albury, "what can there possibly be to
justify you in giving me all this trouble?"

"You know you had to come up about that cook's character."

"I know that I have given that as a reason to Sir Harry; but I know
also that I should have gone without a cook for a twelvemonth had you
not summoned me."

"The truth is I could not get down to Stalham and back without losing
an additional day, which I cannot possibly spare. With you it does
not very much matter how many days you spare."

"Nor how much money I spend, nor how much labour I take, so that I
obey all the commands of Colonel Jonathan Stubbs! What on earth is
there that I can say or do for you more?"

"There are one or two things," said he, "that I want you to
understand. In the first place, I am quite in earnest about this."

"Don't I know that you're in earnest?"

"But perhaps you do not understand the full extent of my earnestness.
If she were to refuse me ultimately I should go away."

"Go away! Go where?"

"Oh; that I have not at all thought of;--probably to India, as I
might manage to get a regiment there. But in truth it would matter
very little."

"You are talking like a goose."

"That is very likely, because in this matter I think and feel like
a goose. It is not a great thing in a man to be turned out of his
course by some undefined feeling which he has as to a young woman.
Bu