as short an acquaintance, of him; why, even Mydleton-but, there, how should you know?I tell you that every man who has paid a visit here since the fire has kissed pretty Sally Jones; at least all I know have: she's a

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Stop!"

thundered Robert. "Gentleman, nobleman, you, and such as you, will burn in hell-fire for this. You have turned her head amongst you; flattered her, lied to her, and you have now no more right to call her shameful names because you have ruined her, than if she had been an idiot. A workhouse orphan! My God, what a victory for your lordships! You have taken away from her the only plea that she had for being considered to be of the same species as your own sister. From a miserably vulgar, not-worth-considering female creature of the lowest order, she has now become not even an honest woman. Now, look you! I thought this girl to be an angel-you know so much and I so little, you see-and you, and these others like you, have destroyed such a hope in this heart of mine as God only knew the greatness of, and have made my whole life bitter, to-day and for ever."

The sick boy, who had spoken this with intense energy, here staggered, and, though the other held out his arm for him to hold by, fell, purposely, upon the gravel walk.

"Don't touch me!" he murmured fiercely as he lay, "I will have no help of yours!"

"I am sorry for it, sir," said the other, gravely, who seemed moved by the lad's passion, "I am truly sorry; if, at some other time, you shall have forgiven me, and may need real assistance, my best help will be at your service. Here is my card."

The stranger lifted his hat, not disrespectfully, to the prostrate form before him, and having sent help to the fainting boy from the farmhouse, saddled for himself a clever chestnut-one of quite a little troop of horse then in the stables, belonging to the quality—and galloped away.

Upon the card which Robert Birt found by his side was printed, "Hon. A. H. P. Brooks Hollis."

CHAPTER XII.

MASTER HOLLIS had left Winton for Dimbledon with very high and mighty notions indeed; he reflected that he was descending from a great estate the public school-to a position—the private school-which he had long since experienced and risen from; and, a Cincinnatus returning to his humble plough, he determined to take his dictatorial manners with him. How vulgar looked the white staring villa! How eminently unclassical the enormous brass-plate, with Hurry and Cramem inscribed thereon in Roman characters, upon the door! On the fluted Corinthian pillars there was a smaller plate, with "House" and "Young Gentlemen's" bells upon it; and there was a green board projecting over the garden wall with an academical advertisement on it shocking to the Wintonian mind.

The "house" bell rang up "Jack" immediately, in a disgracefully dirty pink jacket; the other

produced, after an interval, footman John in a chocolate livery and light-blue velvet smalls. Master Hollis saw no signs of a playground, or of his future companions, as he drove up to this edifice; but there were a great many seedily-dressed boys upon the common in front, who divided their attention pretty equally between himself and an old grubseller's hand-cart.

"I have nothing for you, my poor fellows," was almost upon his lips, as these gentry crowded round his vehicle; nor till one of them inquired whether he was the chap from Winton, did he comprehend the dreadful truth.

He was a Winton fellow, he replied, with a marked stress upon the public school appellation; and further indignities were put a stop to by the arrival of footman John, who, having received and responded to some light chaff respecting his inflammatory appearance and half-adjusted neck-cloth, admitted the new arrival, and shut the door in their faces.

The next proceeding of this functionary was singular enough. Looking Hollis straight in the face as they stood at the bottom of a flight of stairs, he shouted at the top of his voice, "It's only him, sir!" Whereupon a still hoarser stentor responded, "Let him come up then." And thus invited he was ushered into the presence of Joseph Hurry.

This gentleman, as he stood to receive his visitor, was rather under than over five feet high, but if there had not been a table between them, which concealed the fact of Mr. Hurry's standing upon a footstool, he would not have seemed nearly of that altitude. His nose was three aquilines rolled into one; never had Master Hollis beheld such a nose before those short legs seemed to have been built, and very securely built, on purpose to support that single feature; he wore, habitually, the largest slouched hats to hide it; he was constantly wrapping it up in his pocket-handkerchief, yet somehow it always looked supernaturally conspicuous and in relief. His complexion was very fair; his bright blue eyes, his dazzling teeth, his hair, which was almost white and fine as spun-glass, were faultless. The less creditable characteristics were of course the objects of his pupils' observations, and he was called by the boys—when they knew him to be well out of hearing-Tom Thumb, Nosey, and the Albino.

This man's vulgarity and abruptness of manner were so irrepressible and striking, that he never showed to a new pupil if accompanied by any relatives, who were, in that case, received by the presentable partner, Mr. Cramem; and it was to this circumstance that Master Hollis owed his singular

announcement.

M