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Hall, no Lord Overton for a partner, no reminiscences of the same on the morrow's rounds—it had been but a passing vision, gone like a flash, and now there was again only the useful Challoner to fall back upon. "There must not be too much talking, remember," Hitchin sighed, all doctor again. "The bronchial tubes are still tender, and must not be excited. Talking irritates"You need not be afraid of his talking," said Teddy, bluntly; "he must talk in his sleep if he talks at all. At any rate, he never favours me; Overton is the only person who gets any change out of him, and a little goes a long way with Overton. He ain't particular."

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But the hand that fell on Challoner's shoulder was so hearty and kindly, and the charge was so freely and confidingly laid, that no one could have taken umbrage at it, and no one did. It was impossible not to like Teddy Lessingham when Teddy was good; and when he was not, why, then Matilda argued it was "only Teddy," only her poor, beautiful, whimsical-she would not for the world have whispered "halfwitted" brother. He was, she would have maintained, perfectly sensible, perfectly rational, perfectly all that he should have been, when he was not vexed or sullen; it was only when thwarted or distressed, when he did not understand, and took things amiss, and was grieved and indignant, that Teddy was irresponsible it was other people who roused the evil spirit in him; Teddy, let alone, would not have hurt a fly. And Teddy now quite looked upon himself as Challoner's friend. Overton was all very well, but Overton went for nothing beside two men of the world such as himself and Challoner: it was to him that Challoner must look for everything that could make his enforced stay at the Hall endurable; and

accordingly, "Well, now," cried he, as the doctor left the room—“ now, you see, there you are! I said you would be all right in a few days if you would only hold on; and so you are all right-right as a trivet; and it is just a week to-day since

since last Saturday. This is Saturday again, you know. I daresay you didn't know, for there was nothing to tell you, unless it was the newspaper, and that says Friday, for to-day's has not come yet, though the afternoon post will be here directly. I say, will you go to Matilda's now, or after a bit ?"

"Oh, wait a little," said Challoner, slowly.

"All right. But I'll tell her that you are coming, and that she is to have a good fire, and all the rest of it: I can just run along now."

"Oh-ah-don't be in a hurry,” said Challoner, with an evident wish to detain the steps which had already begun to move to the door.

"Is there not any other room?" he began, hesitatingly.

"Oh, by Jove! when you heard what Hitchin said, and all the dust he raised about it! Oh, I say, that's too bad. There's the billiard-room, of course, but it would be as much as my place is worth

-no, no, I never disobey orders; if I did, Matilda would give it me— that she would, I can tell you.”

"But we shall disturb her, shan't we?"

"Not a bit. Disturb Matilda ! She is never disturbed. What has she got to be disturbed about? Lotta was the one who used to complain of being 'disturbed.' am sure I don't know why, no one ever wanted to disturb her; she might have been let alone from morning to night, for all the good she was to anybody."

"I am such a nuisance." And something else was added indistinctly.

"Oh, come, I like that," said Teddy. "When I have told you over and over again what a perfect godsend you are to us all, and me particularly! For I never have anybody hardly-I mean any young fellows like myself. I don't know how it is, I am sure," with Teddy's puzzled look, that always made Matilda change the subject,-"I don't know how I don't have more fellows about. I had lots of friends once-I mean I have now, any number; but they don't come here. We don't ask them here; we forget, I suppose. A fellow can't be expected to remember everything, you know," he concluded, with his usual apology.

"No, of course not," said Challoner, dreamily. He had been thinking his own thoughts, and they had been of a nature to make him say "No" or "" "Yes at random to any sudden call. He had added "of course not" from mere absence of mind; and as it appeared to suit the requirements of the case, he again relapsed into silence, and his companion again resumed: "Overton is as fond of you as he can be; and we were saying only this morning what a grand thing it was that Robert had not carried you off to Endhill, as he had all but done, and had you ill there. How you would have hated it! Oh, you don't know how you would have hated it!" cried Teddy from his heart. "You would have had nobody but Robert and Whewell. Whewell would not have done much for you. He is a selfish beggar; I can see he is. I don't like him a bit. He made me kneel on the cold bit of pavement, when I had to be godfather I mean proxy godfather, or whatever it is-at the christening, and he had a nice piece of carpet. It was my carpet by rights, but he edged on to it, and I had to go on to the horrid

cold stone. It was just like him : I knew he was that kind of fellow the moment I set eyes upon him. Then he comes here dangling after Matilda!"

"Does he?" said Challoner, and suddenly looked as though expecting more.

"Doesn't he, that's all! Every day this week but one, and to-day, -and he'll be over to-day yet. It's only four now; he'll be here about five. He has been, let me see-he did not come one day; that was Wednesday, and that was because we went there, so that ought not to count; and it is as if he had been every day, every single day, this week."

"But he has only been twice up to see me."

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Very likely-up to see you. The first two times he would not disturb you not for the world, as the doctor said you were to be quiet, Hitchin did say so, you know, though I don't believe Whewell knew it; and then Wednesday-that was the 'bye': and then yesterday and the day before he was up both times. Well, but just fancy what it would have been for you to have been ill at Endhill," he started off on another tack; "just think now. should have come over to inquire after you, of course,-most likely we should have come over every day, as we have nothing else to do at present, and of course we, at least I, should have come up and sat up with you a bit; but still it would have been different. And then all the rest of the time you would have had only Robert-only Robert," in a voice whose cadence spoke volumes.

We

"And there you would have been, and we here,and we who would have been so thankful of you

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-It is really-you are too good," said Challoner, with a sud

den movement. "Go on," he added, in rather a low voice. "What were you saying?"

"I am sure I don't know. Oh, how glad we are you are here! We should have been fit to hang ourselves these five dripping days if it hadn't been for you; for though we get on as well as most people in the wet-we don't mind it much, you know-still it is nasty to get rained through and through every day, and never to meet anybody out but ourselves," said Teddy, lucidly if ungrammatically. "Matilda is the worst off; but then, if she likes Whewell, she is welcome to him. All the same," he added, after a few minutes' reflection, "I do think she has had enough of him by this time. She cut out at the back door like anything when she caught sight of him coming up the avenue yesterday; and that was how you had so much of his company: by the way, he was hanging on till she came in, and she never came. It was rather a joke, that."

"He has no business to come over bothering us," he broke out, presently. "We don't want him : he is not our friend; he did not come on our invitation

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-Neither did I," said Challoner, with rather a bitter smile.

"You! Oh! Oh, that's too bad of you!" cried poor Teddy, reddening in his anxiety to retrieve so obvious an error. "Well, anyway you are our friend now, at least if you will be friends with us," he added, in his best and nicest manner. "People don't seem to care much to be friends with Overton and me," oblivious of the numbers he had just before boasted; "they don't take to us much, I am afraid. But we are not so bad at all when you get to know us. At least I am not so bad," said Teddy, very simply. "Overton," with warmth, "Overton is as good a fellow as ever lived; and so is Matilda."

"She is

what?" "Never mind; don't catch one up, I say. I only meant to tell you that you need not be afraid of her. People are afraid of her, you know; they say she is spiteful, and that. It is the greatest lie. There's no spitefulness in her; she only lets her tongue run on a bit. Overton and I are always telling her of it; but we can't help laughing, she does take people off so jolly well sometimes. She means no harm: she is awfully good to you when she likes you. She can't like everybody; she is too clever to like everybody-that's the worst of her; and there are people, you knowShe says Robert sets her teeth on edge," he broke off suddenly.

Challoner laughed.

"Ah, but it's true," proceeded the naughty boy, quite aware that he was telling tales; "he is such a fool, he never knows when he is in a hole, and goes on and on till she can't stand more. Then she lets out on him; how can she help it? It is his fault; he ought to keep out of her way."

"But he cannot always keep out of her way."

"Oh yes, he could. Why not? Nobody wants him.”

"That may be, but still

"Oh, I know what you mean: it is what she says herself; she has got to put up with him for Lotta's sake.

Women are so soft, you know. You would not think Matilda was soft like that, but she is. It is queer, but she does not mind Lotta half so much as Robert. Now I think there is six to one and halfa-dozen to the other. Lotta is as like all the Wilmots as she can be; they have all those flat faces and sleepy eyes. You would never dream she was Matilda's daughter, would you? Matilda is like us,' said Teddy, looking very handsome

and conscious.

"She is."

"You see it?"

"Like you? Yes."

"But not like Overton?" "Not in the least like Lord Overton."

"I wonder what you think of Matilda,” said Teddy, after a pause, and several wistful glances. "I am afraid she behaved very badly to you the other night. I am sure I don't know-that is to say-you see, it was all a bit of temper," proceeded he, in the humour to be chatty and confidential, for the hour was seductive, the sick-room warm and bright, the day without dark and dismal, and moreover, he had just come in from a long wet ride, had changed his things, and got comfortable again; and with his arm-chair on one side of the fireplace, and Challoner's on the other, to be cosy and communicative seemed quite the right thing.

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"It was only Matilda's way showing fight because Robert gave himself airs. Of course it was not fair; but then women never do fight fair, and there's no driving the notion into their heads. When Matilda wants to serve Robert out somehow, she don't care a hang how; and so, because Robert looked daggers at her for not taking more notice of you before-oh, you know what I mean," a little uneasy, now that he got so far, and no helping hand was held out to draw him to land, as was sure to be the case if Matilda were by and saw him in difficulties. "You know well enough my sister was stiff, and cold, and—and infernally disagreeable to you, both at Endhill and when you dined here; at any rate, here. At Endhill, of course, she had nothing to do with you; but then, of course, she should have had, and she would have had too, if she had chosen. But it was the night you all came over, that she was the worst. I was quite ashamed; it seemed so inhospitable altogether.

And how were you to know? It was not meant for you at all; it would have been the same whoever had come I mean she would have been the same to any friend of Robert's -that's to say-well, of course, there was Whewell," he murmured, and his voice fell.

"I have nothing to complain of, I am sure," replied Challoner, with the courtesy of a Grandison, but with something also of the coldness. "Lady Matilda has surely a right to choose whom she will honour by her

-Oh, fiddlesticks! Honour! There was no honour about it. Whewell got her ear, and so she let him talk on; and if Robert had taken no notice, she would have been as sick of him then as she is now, but Robert's putting in his oar just did all the mischief. When Robert tries to force Matilda to do a thing-no matter whether she wants to do it or not —it is just as if she had put out her two fore-feet like our donkey mare, and she'd stand still till Christmas before she'd budge a step."

"Your sister- -" said Challoner, and then stopped. He had not relaxed a line in his face, nor made as though he heard the simile so little flattering and so truly fraternal. "Your sister- " he said; then began again-"I owe Lady Matilda a great debt of gratitude for her kindness and patience the other night. Probably she did me a valuable service, and I am sure it was neither an easy nor an agreeable one."

"Oh-ah-yes. Yes, of course. I had forgotten Matilda held your arm. But any one could have done that. However, she meant it for civility, no doubt; and that just shows how right I was about it all. Robert and Lotta had gone home by that time, you see. They had taken themselves off before we went back to the drawing-room;

and so, when there was no one there to see, and your hand was bad again, Matilda was glad enough to be of use. Oh, I know she was: she is awfully good if people are ill, or hurt, or anything; but she

wouldn't have touched you with a hot poker if Robert had been byI can tell you that, Challoner."

Again Challoner laughed aloud : he began to find Teddy Lessingham downright amusing.

CHAPTER XIII.-WHEWELL ENCROACHES.

"They that are rich in words must needs discover
They are but poor in that which makes a lover."

-RALEIGH.

eyes: he would appear and reappear at Overton; morning, noon, and night at Overton-one excuse or other serving his turn as it offered; but always expecting to be met with open arms, to be made much of, entertained, asked and pressed to stay on,-and never, as it seemed, for an instant suspecting

Without any suspicion of the base revelations that were thus being made within a few feet of her own door, Matilda sat awaiting her brother's return from the sick-room, whither she had seen him turn in an hour before, and from which he seemed in no hurry to emerge. Matilda was not in her usual that it would have been better to spirits.

She was a little uneasy, a little anxious and remorseful, and in consequence just a little cross. Whewell had been rather much for her. She had laid her little hands upon him-had laid them for a moment; had meant to trifle away a sunny hour, and no more, —and he had seized the moment in grim earnest, and expected the hour to expand into a lifetime. He had encroached; he had-yes, he certainly had shown desire for more than had ever been intended, more than he would ever get. If he could only have been content to have taken the welcome accorded him as he ought to have taken it-to have enjoyed Lord Overton's hospitality, shot his pheasants, admired his sister, and then respectfully made his bow, and taken himself off,how much better it would have been! But here he was still, and every day lessened his charms.

He would not remain at Endhill, although it was to Endhill alone he had been first invited. Endhill now found no favour in his

stay away.

Lady Matilda's own sitting-room had not been safe from his intrusion since she had imprudently laid its existence bare to him on the first occasion of his looking in for an afternoon call. He had not begun to lose caste then, and she had little dreamed how soon he would do so, even when he had vowed, with delighted eyes, that he would know the way back thither. Too speedily had he made use of his knowledge: the very next afternoon had seen him tapping at the door; and such precipitation had even then made her vexed with herself, while she had repented more and more when Monday's and Tuesday's visits had been followed by Thursday's and Friday's, and Wednesday had only been a "bye" because the brother and sister had been at Endhill.

Now Matilda would not have had any one know it for the world, but the real reason of their going to Endhill-the real object which had taken them thither-had been to put a stop to Whewell's notion

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