MR. HARDCASTLE'S FRIENDLY ATTENTIONS, AND WHAT CAME OF THEM.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1107, 7 December 1869, Page 3

MR. HARDCASTLE'S FRIENDLY ATTENTIONS, AND WHAT CAME OF THEM.

CHAPTEB ' iI.r~WMiT - ; HAPPEjffIED ■ ; >&ss!££&:s ■ (From' London i^etj^li^ Sunday attheZpplpg^eaL ",TChf se^jpjft^!^ drawing to a db^e, lmt theJ^^^^^|^ti; the fullest that there : •iaß^eenlittMi^*^'| beginnings l\Eyeryl)pHy is there'; r tK|^| | is not saying enough. There- axe.'.-^tn^;,--^ necessary nobodies ,tp keep, this bodies in countena^ce/^^ ; afadl;s^^ttionl^'; ' frohv staring .at one ianbtHfi like /.idiots.^ ; There is even a Boyal Prince find- ?&Mr • f Princess, and these i illustrious persp^g#y; ■ actually seem to like being ;presenti' for ;; nobody bores them with intrusive "^tteii" '' tions. . _ ..'■":■,'•'. -V-"-'-' 1 -' : VV - > The day is one of the finest ■''as'j^ejr^;/-;;^ one of the fallest of the season, andthe one fact/I suppose, accounts c^nsidetajbly v/f ! , for the other. It has doubtless influenced ' the toilettes, which are lighter and airier ; than ever; as far as the ladies are concerned; and what J-wonde^rful r cpiff^resJ V these same ladies wear! Coiffures seem ;. ; . . to reach- their culminating point at the . . Zoological ; go anywhere afterwards and ' you always notice a declension. .:;''.' , ■'■- There is nothing to do, of course, atthe '„ Zoological after you have been to see some '< „ : . of your favourite animals.. : ? There ■' are always a few of these in fashion, and you. "do " these rigorously. This .^object, aor , compKshed, youconcentrateypurattent^pir. A . ; upon trying to get chairs, aple^si^g'biirßmtf; which passes away an hour very well. s -its' everybody tries toget chairs, I suppos6tKe^.> , *\ ard the unsuccessful candidates who. walk about ; and it is well that somebody ihould so disport themselves, otherwise sitting would be comparatively, dull wbrle. v* n '- '-^ws* An elderly gentleman, to whom I wish to call your attention, has been foraging for seats : .ever since -he. entered the "gar- 'I -;"■ dens. He has not regarded the chase, : like more philosophical persons, as an in* oidental piece, of amusement, and has been . >> actually out; of temper at the delay. ... But see, he has at last brought down his game, and comes upon the grass with a cbai* ty l: ; each hand; and his satisfaction is coin- i! plefe when, on joining two ladies who form his party, he finds that one of them has ■'■ found a seat for herself. As he alsP is thus saved from standing you might supg>se that, he would begin to be amiable; ut he does nothing of the kind. ; He'dis^ > ' : likes the place and the people also, and, aa he says, doesn't care who knows it. ; A H ; more insane way of passing the afternoon! he cannot conceive, and he expresses his dissatisfaction in audible terms. He is a portly person with a pink face, dresses scrupulously in black, with a white cravat; of a previous period of society, and a big diamond brooch in the bosom of his shirt which " would buy half Horthumberlee,'* if half Northumberlee happened to be for sale. Both his pink face and his portliness are appearances in his favour. - Neither is too pronounced, and bosh draw that nips.; line between prosperity and apoplexy which • one always rejoices to see in elderly gentlemen; - . ;• . • ; . : . Of the two ladies one is evidently his wife and the other apparently his daughter. - . - His wife is tall, stately, and Teserved;' ;: grandly rather than gaily dressed,' like many courtly persons of her period in life whom one meets in the exclusive circles of Madame Tussaud— persons whosemanners " have considerably more than the repose which stamps the caste of Vere de Vere ; for so little influenced are they by vulgar emotion that a condescending inclination, of the head, or a haughty turn of thas appendage- upon their . aristo- =■ ■ ■ cratio shoulders are all the signs they deign to make of taking the smallest int terest in their fellow-creatures. The lady in question has evidently modelled herself upon one of these courtly dames. You can see at a glance that her ideas of goodbreeding are entirely of a negative chav racter; and without overhearing l oaf- • family conversations you may be sure that/ . she tells her daughter not to do this and: ; : not to do that, because -great people never : do anything of the kind, neglecting, of course, to add what it is that great people ■ do do, and in what respeots the nature of their activity differs from that of little, [\ people. Her daughter, ah ! her daughter is very different. You have heard some account ' of her in the artless criticism of Mr. Shorncliffe; for— there need be no mys- - tery in the matter — she is indeed the unknown enchantress of the Plunger's ball!. But Mr. Shorncliffe, with all his enthusi- < asm and power of description, did nothing like justice to her loveliness,; which in its . general character was like that of a lolling Sly, if you can fancy a lolling lily with an aggressive abundance of chestnut hair and ' eyes the colour-flower. She has, as Mr. Shorncliffe observed, an ivory delicacy of surface; but that gentleman forgot to mention the pale coral tints that gave it relief. lam bound to admit also, on my - own account, that I have never beheld a lily, lolling or otherwise, arrayed to suoh, ; purpose in pale blue. It was Solomon in. all his glory and the lily combined. : > But it will save trouble to tell you at once who these people are. Mr. Surbiton is principally known for .having made a great deal of money. It is a very good reputation to have, and will carry its subject a considerable way . into society. ■ It is not quite understood ,■■ how the money had been made, except,' I *•■ suppose, by Mr. Surbiton's old and morey ■ immediate friends.; but he -is supposed to ;■ ? .-,' have begun in a very small way and ended, in a very large way, and Wing -now retired he. is of course in no way all. ■ But do ndt suppose that people in general ckr& '& in what particular line of business the money had been made, and very few would trouble themselves on the subject but for Mrs. Surbiton's horror. ht any hint of her husband having been in trade, which „: , makes her friends laugh occasionally, and ; of course tends to keep the. fact before „-- their eyes. Two-thirds of her life, t should think, are passedin trying to con- ■ ceal what she considers this family disgrace, and, as far as any degree of success is concerned, she might as well proclaim it periodically from the house-tops. Her main object at the present time is to effect an aristocratic alliance with her daughter. ■: That young lady, by the way, is happily^ , uninfluenced by the peculiarities of her,.^ parents. Being no more than seventeen '/.'*• or eighteen years of age, she is not able tp , f remember the humbler state of the family*, and having been educated away from homo she is unaffected by any of its traditions^ : ; Scarcely have Mr. and Mrs. Surbiton :i and daughter taken possession of their ,:' chairs than they are joined Jby a gentled: : man, a stranger, who addresses.himself tP' , the head of the family in a manner indicative of some special erran^. 1 - . .'..-•,:•,>. i But I must here leave them to note a scene which is enacting in another part of ■ , the gardens. >-.<•.< i.' • * •■:#-• '.* • : tv&:i ■' : -.-. :'':£&: . Harry Doricaster has been two or threfe^ii i. times up and down that loog walk wUj&|b:;i i the wnlkers seemto con^ega^fpT^^r i amusement of the people- in^ohpnsu ',&j$| ft ; ; \ » has performed tliepppessi^itfc . patience; -havin'^'all^edi'iirp^^l^u 1 • from being stare,dlf at.>i;^Butfc^s^gjlllMi^ i right and ■ by the sickt of aome persons #;whpm^lio,r seems tb'bein^uej^xan^^

. fora f<^ grass lie. turns away as "if |br tilfti^p.'u'rpose of being alone. His mood is. plainly not a plewan|ftne,^andih!e, seems preoccupied to an extent ;ihcompa^e. with enjoyment of the Zoological. So tie sits^uniiera tree and has an i^|»rview,fWith himself— a very imsatisfactorysinijeryiew, I should say, 3udginft;'fr;(^n^; gEus^owns and occasional ejaculati6ns? s ! |i» would end in Ma,"' violent quarrelj-l^^^no^dbubf, !fora^iversion cau^ed A by tb!e of. a stranger^;;' ; '"' J r '' '■"' ' ■;',"• . ' .- . ' Harry Ddiicaster, being rather slender in figu^^anWerwise, -did [not ; occupy the entir6 ; seVe^n, or eight feet of the bench upon w^V no;h^d ohosen ito rest ; so the strangei^a^iie^nimself bf the vacant ac<K>mmoaaH6fl..TKis stranger was one of the moit agreeable persdns you ever beheld. Jle was not a fat man, but he was certau^ ? .;%|»iumpi iinan, with a beaming, radianC'presencßi confirmed by his face, wHoh^ftiS so happy and healthy, smiling and benevolent, as to be. irresistibly attraor tive. A! sanguine complexion and sandy hair may^fiave had something to do with the preVjaiHng effect, but the genial nature of thef straiiger shone, especially : in : his eyes. /'•" "''. '*' '"■„' " , t '• Harry Donoaster, preoccupied though he was, .could not'avoid notice of these characteristics; so when the stranger spoke to him he did not resent the intrusion, but showed himself to be favourably impressed, 1 , , : " You : do not remember me, Captain Doncaster?" said the stranger. , Captain Doncaster could not dispute the proposition,' TW stranger continued— : «'N#*c(pubt youdo nbtj'you were a ; .small boy ,when we> used to meet. , But I •was weii;^acquainted with your father, the late vi £ scount-r;was, Jmay say, his friend, andhadthe.pleasuri?^ : -;of^ obliging him in manyyways., Always happy to do it, too, having |he -greatest respeot for Him and his fatiuljrji ' Besides;; : it's always. better to make !§iends -than .., enemies, and, every . man has it in Kis power to do solne good in his generation if he only has his heart in the ; right place." ' : Harry Doncaster was charmed to hear such .generous >• sentiments,; and prpfessed|Some tere^tary gratitude .for the servio^sf^ Rendered t° his father, not that lie knew their nature, but he guessed that they might have been of a pecuniary chaxaoter^V,; . ; ,,.^ •:;.;.;.,.,.,-,.., "Yon do remember my name, I dare say," pursued his obliging neighbour — " Mat&ew;Sardcastle," v Hafry.JPpncaster thought, he remembered., it-r^was,. npt . sure-^-yesj he cer-tainly^~-it.seemed, familiar to him — he must feave heard it at home when he was young> „. . •■...-' " Ah !; % thouglit you had not forgotten my name, at any.' rate," said, Mr. .Hardcastle,' with a pleasant chuckle; ; " and now let me tell you why I have recalled myself^tqyour recollection. Frankly, I wish to lender you. a. service. There,, is too litt|p. Sympathy in this world between man andean; j we ought all to do more for one anotner than we dp; the curse, of the world is selfishness." "My; dear sir," said Harry Doncaster, 41 it is charming to hear you express such noble sentiments, but I am not a ware in what manner you can dome a service. I am full of troubles, but they are of a nature very - difficult to provide for, and a stranger— t—" .... "ISpfc. A .stranger," interrupted Mr. HardcasfW 'takipg;.. Harry's hand and grasping it withij much warmth ; " say, rather.^ a, friend.'. It. is. indeed in my power/.to^ render, you a service, and Ibftulftat9ly.it is not necessary, to test .my friendjji.nesg by any sacrifice on , my own part.-, The, service I am able to. render you will cost ,me nothing. On the" contrary, I, shall be. a gainer by conferring an obligation in another quarter, not a pecup^yj bbhga.ti.on of course.^ What I mean "~Tstlia|^sn.ali gain the lasting gratitude of the-^famUy pf one,of mjf 'oldest friends, and that is. payment to me enough. Nobody.; ieversaid ; that. Matt Hardcastle ever did algapdi action only for money, though that perhaps is : no merit of mine. I don't know, .what I might have done had I been poor,; and we must always be charitable to the ciribrs pf neefjjKnien, IJappily I have always been^beydud the reaoh of temptation. ' . . "Ypu pu??le: me,", said Captain Don-; caster*!. who .thought that his. new friend would indeed, be a clever fellow if he could do anything fox Mm, i But he remembered that /he had i read of equally wonderful things ;in the " Arabian Nights' Enterfcainments.", ... . . • "]S[ow, let me be frank with you," Mr. Hardcastle continued. "I know your position at the present moment to be one of great embarrassment. I know that youhave for years past spent a great deal more than, your income. You have had expectations, doubtless, and were justified in. so doing. ; but these expectations have not been realised as yet, and you have, no time to wait for them. I know that besides a-r-if I may: so call it— somewhat reckless expenditure, pardonable to a young man of.; family belonging to an.expensive regiment, you have been unfortunate in horses and have dropped a little at cards. You have met debts of honour by contracting legal obligations. There are some of. tnem.considerably over due, and unless,— ? in the immortal words of our friend Mioawberr-" .something turns up" for you, /y6u. ; may be considered in the light oftavruined. man." , Harry was obliged to own that this was but too faithful a picture of his state and prospects in life ; but he expressed some surprise that Mr. Hardcastle should have arrived at so accurate, a knowledge of his condition.- . - "Never mind how I came to know it," said that gentleman in his most genial manner ;" I know a great many things about a great, many people that they little suspect... The fact is that I have rather a speciality for ; doing friendly offices for people in my humble way, and such cases Teach, my ears sooner than they reach thoseof most men. Now there is only one wajr of extricating yourself from your difficulties, and that one way is — marriage." Harry Doncaster was deeply disappointed at the nature of the remedy propos^edv As if he had never thought of it before!- Why,- if is the first idea that occtirs to every spendthrift who is hard pressed. Harry did not avow this coniemptuoUs opinion, however, but contented himself with- saying — ** I any much obliged, niy dear sir, for yofir 'suggestion, and I must confess it had oeouirM 1 to -' me before. , But there has always beeh this difficulty in the way; . I have>a prejudice against marrying a. womjfti^l -don't like, and I have hitherto been 'unable to combine the necessary conditions.; -When,. I have: liked, or fancied that I have liked, a girl/ she has al#ayß-turnied;out'to be without a penny, ;anllfrieher- than imys elf only through having %o debts. On the other hand, women ■jfitK fortunes sufficiently large to enable ; th.4^4to?c/tak«lUme/ debts: 1 and all, have j beeia objectionable persons one way ?jpj^»^ioth ! erjt • besides mostly v; cads. ;np^^jbejh^d^ffde^thtfippnd^ and; I" Siiffli^^vier4j[ound an^^iwnipney* enough whofll>ip cared eVen to ; aslci* >t^in notrtery , ; : jpav(aeu)a#l^o^ ; ommss* fQppellwg Jhys^lfientfrely for b^pt- pf my creditor^ I hare not

'quiteamveo^ WtwoJ prefer the to the bud of wife -IW^Mliey may rum me, but, they cannot force me to suSer/my ruin in their society. " / t j i « Buftf I could^teodupe you toa lady whomiyoii slioiiia bel^sure to like r : . ;; " Thank you very much, my deai? sir, rejoined Harry ])j>no9 ster, .somewhair deciaedlyrana gkting^' tner red iti the face; "I have reasons, at th« ? presonttime, for not being!' prepared to. make, the experiment." ■',".; . ",,, •..-._ „ , v 0 "An attachment alre ady formed, en? Excuse mc-I am an ok ler man than you —for asking the question •• » 1S , 80 » L see by your face,! todou bt it does yo» , honor, and' so do all the sentiments yr * have expressed. It is son lethmg straD ,g, to meet with the finer fc, uings "* a r Aai who has passed through .your career But supposing that I <** aid assist Jo \ with the object of your cho. w^ ' "My dear.sir, I have i \ot - told you tha I have any choice, and 1 1 ie\ ?eat— — ' "Now, my dear frieni 1* don't, make j stranger of me, who onl f wisK to oblig< you. It is just possible ti tet your choic< —or shall I call it your £ vncy ?— is but i few days old." ' "You are certainly de. termmed, Mr Hardcastle, to know as muc •» as I kno^ myself." , : "It. is not, improbable ti vatyounevei yet spoke to> the lady ?" , "Mr. Hardcastle, I " "That you do not even Jknow hei name?" "You are mosfc determine >d in youi interrogatories." ' , ' " That you never saw her bu fc onee — al a.ball?" . ! ••Well, you evidently know i jomething about it," said Harry Doncaster, • his first instinct of resentment appeased as he found his obliging friend really as well - informed as he pretended to be. ..." . "Supposing,, then, as I have sai-d, 3 could introduce you to the lady in < mestion?" , "You would indeed please me,, butl know not to what it could lead. 1 'o tel] you the truth, I cam c here ou purpf >se to see her ; but even had I seen .her Is hould scarcely have ventured to iatroduci 3 myself, for I have no right to suppos e thai either, she or her family desired tc > meet me, and the only excuse 1" had»for intruding I have somehow lost." " You have lost the glove,- then ?" " And you know about the * glov e!" .; " Y\es. I agree with you th at tl icy were not likely to advertise for such a very unimportant article, and it woulc 1 !. certainly be strange if they advertised fo t you." "That is just what occurr ed to me. And you have seen the adv .ertisementi ,too P" "Well, I have, heard about ; it. But you w> n't want the glove if Ipr esent you myself." : Harry Doncaster could not v rithstand the temptation ; and in a few mil mtes the 1 pair were in the midst tff the prom enaders, and peering in every direction am png the occupants of the much-coveted cb lirs. 4 # * # # * I left the Surbiton party takin; % their rest, and being joined by a stranger. You may guess who it was — Mr. Shor, aclifie, of course. , Mr. Shorncliffe rushed in where Captain Doncaster feared to tread; bu'.t he considered himself the lesser fool or the two on that account, and I suppose- he. was, in the right. , « Lifting his hat with a half recognitit m off \ the ladies,. this enterprising gentleman, ad- ■'■ dressed himself to Mr. Surbiton, who rose* ) from his seat witha certainair of deferenoe j ; l for Mr. Shorncliffe's manners were, impo- I sing— to Mr. Surbiton, at any rate. " I have taken the liberty of intruding! upon you here," said Mr. Shorncliffe, with. 1 composed audacity, " in obedience to your- i hint:" . . . ' j "Myljint, sii'," replied Mr. Surbiton,, jj surprised out of politeness. " What do- \ you mean V \ • " Mean, sir ! Is it possible that you. j have forgotten the Plungers'— the Dra- \ goon Guards' ball at Brighton, and th& l advertisement in the " South Down Eo.- I porter ?" lam tJie finder of the glove-" The latter communication was conveyed in a low, confidential tone, as if it bor©*the weight of a state secret. Poor Mr. Siar- : biton was sorely joerplexed. As soom as, he could find words to reply, he said — "Ball! Yes, I remember the bailt and a very dull affa.vr it was. But whsfc the deuce you mea n by the advertise?- ! ment and the glove I can't say. Yotu i must take me for somebody else, or hay« , gone clean out of your, senses." I And here the horrible idea seized upon Mr. Surbiton that he hy.d to do with a ' lunatic of a dangerous kind ; so, with a precautionary instinct as creditable to him as his promptitude of action, he seized the chair upon which he had been sitting, covered himself with it, and covered the ladies with it, while awaiting a further demonstration on the other side. The attitude was so unusual! aft the Zoological as to attract the attention of several bystanders ; bufc they were well-bred persons, and did not precipitate a scene. The ladies, if not alarmed, felfc very awk>wardly placed, and Mrs. Surbiton told her husband in quiet, but commanding tones, to resume his seat, and hear what the gentleman had to say. "I can assure you, sir," continued Mr. Shovncliffe, rather amused than otherwise, and speaking round the chair for the benefit of the ladies, " that lam no-t a madman, but am pleasantly in my senses, and that I nave intruded myself upon you simply because I supposed you desired raj presence." , ' -• The explanation seemed at leasfc reasonable, so Mr. Surbiton was persuaded to drop Ms defence and take his seat upon it — a pacific movement which satisfied the bystanders that there was nothing the matter; so they moved off, and an apparently promising scandal was nipped in the bud. " The gentleman will tell you, I dare say, if (you ask him," said Mrs. Surbiton severely to her husband, " what he means by the advertisement." " Well, what do you mean P" said Mr. Surbiton, sulkily. " I mean the announcement which appeared on Friday in the Southdown Meporter," said Mr. Shorncliffe, taking from his pocket the paragraph in question, which he had taken the precaution to cut out. Mr. Surbiton read the advertisement with amazement ; then he handed it to Mrs. .Surbiton, who read it and looked scandalized ; then Mrs. Surbiton handed it to Miss Surbiton, who read it — and laughed. The latter lady was the first to express her views on the subject. "If it relates to us, mamma, it must bo • intended as. , a piece of fun — though not ' such fun. as a friend would, practise upon ; us.- I. certainly, dropped one of my gloves ; as wo were going out ; but nobody could • suppose that we should advertise for such '. a! thing as that; and I, at any rate, saw nobody pick it up." "I had that honor," said, Mr. Shorn,,cliffe, jiot quite so assuredly as before, ■ apd. addressing- himself still to Mr. Sur,biton,nthough with, reference to the young ;lidv, ; " and . seeing the, advertisement, %. " f, under, the impression that, „ ■4-shaii^— there was a desire to cpmmuni-! j elite with, me." <

" your impression was. mistaken," said Mr. . Surbiton, recovering his selfpossessi- onashe began to understand the questio a a t i ssue . "We know nothing .about' che advertisement here ; somebody tut* Jen! making, a fqol of you." , f-y Shorncliffe began to' thinlc, that he, had a t least been making a fool of himself, d , sincerely. Wished that he tad left P c /ncaster to perform his legitimate part in .'the affair. .-.,,' ;, ■- "Shall I at least perform the coni--1 Jlissipn which f have so innocently undertaken, and restore " , Mrs. Surbiton here interposed, and stopped the movement which the speaker was making towards his pocket. "On no account— such a proceeding could not be permitted in public— with the eyes of the world upon vs — and nobody here requires the glove." . < "If the gentleman had found the little ring I lost the same evening I should be obliged tohim," said Miss, Surbiton. But Mr. ShornclifFe had unfortunately not found a ring. "At least," said that gentleman, as he made a movement to depart, " I hope that I shall be acquitted of having taken a part in what seems to be a very silly, hoax. My name— which I dare say is not unknown to Mr. Surbiton— should be some guarantee of my. honourable motives." And here Mr. Shorncliffe handed his card to the gentleman whom he addressed. The latter glanced at it, and his manner changed immediately. , " Bless me ! — Mr. John Shorncliffe ! Are you of the house of Grampus, Shornclin?e, and ; Co., of Lombard Street P" "lama partner in that firm." ' f My bankers. Then you are at least a respectable person. My dear sir, I am very glad to see you. This business of the advertisement is evidently a mistake —some foolery of those military coxcombs. I am very sorry that, you have been imposed on. Grampus, Shorncliffe, and Co. — first-rate house — know some of the partners. You don't know me, I dare say." , " Your name, I have no doubt, is known to me," replied Mr. Shornoliffe, with renewed confidence at the turn which the conversation had taken. "My name is Surbiton, sir. Do you, know me now ? I have had an account at your bank—and, I flatter myself, never an unsatisfactory balance — for the last twenty years." "There is no name I know betternone more honored in the firm—than yours. I am proud to make your acquaintance, Mr. Surbiton." "And I am proud to make yours ; though I must confess I thought at first you were a swindler. Never mmd — mistakes will happen. And now I know who you are, let me introduce you to my wife and daughter." The wife and daughter duly acknowledged the introduction — neither of them, however, with any unnecessary graciousness ; for Mrs. Surbiton, now that her husbau.d had retired, " did not approve of people in business," and Miss Surbiton did not find herself taking much interest in the person upon such short notice. However, Shorncliffe had gained his point, and; attaching himself sagaciously to the quarter where he had made an impression, hetalfc ed "City," to Mr. Surbifcou with such s'aocess as to fairly win that gentleman's heart. » The afternoon, which was young when they entered the gardens, had been middle-aged for some time past, and now showed signs of growing old. On every side people were seeking social safety in flight. Chairs — that sure test of the Zoological market — which had , been so lately at a high premium, were now at a miserable discount. There had been no transactions in seats indeed, except in leaving them, for the last half-hour, and those coinlcu'ting securities exhibited not only a downward tendency, but a rapid state of decline. lam indebted for this playtul metaphor to Mr. Shorncliffe, who. employed it in his conversation with Mr. Surbiton with such effect as to make that, jgentleman regard him as the most witty person he had ever met in the whole course of his life. Mrs. Surbiton, whose sympathies were wedded to the West-End, scarcely disguised her digust at this kind of pleasantry ; while Miss Surbiton, with whom the West-End was an open question, had a very small opinion of the wit, for the young-lady-like reason that she did not care about the individual. " And now, my boy," — it was my boy by this time-T-said Mr. Surbiton to his new acquaintance, " you are leaving this place of course. Which way are you going? Westward, of course — everybody goes westward. Take a seat in our carriage. You have your own P Never mind — may as well drive with us— just room-^ t ell your man to follow— take my wife out li ke a good fellow." So Mr. Shorncliffe gave his escort to M. rs. Surbiton, an.d Mr. Surbiton followed wit ;h his daughter. * * * # 1. 1 was at this juncture that Mr. Matthev? Hardcastle and Captain the Hon. Han 7 Doncaster; encountered the party — just i a time to bo too late. Jffarry was disgusted at the perfidy of his fri end. "Never mind," said his genial companion : " they have not seen us, and we shall have plen by of time to give him checkmate to-morrow. If we do not castle his queen— Hardeas tie his queen I may say, 3ia ! ha ! ha ! — never believe me again."