"It will be better."

"Send him to Elliot's lodgings; I shall not go home. We shall never speak again. If anything happens to either of us don't bear any malice. I shall see you in the morning."

CHAPTER VII.

LORD CHARLES went home at once to Austin's lodgings, which were very close to Captain Hertford's. Austin persuaded Lord Charles to go to bed, which he did without much persuasion. Austin waited up for Captain Hertford's friend.

He was not long in coming. He was a Captain Jackson, whom Austin had seen before-the man whom he had seen before walking with Captain Hertford and Lord Charles Barty just before he had started for Ronaldsay. He had been to India since, and had come home wounded from one of the Sikh battles, almost with the news of Feroseshah; a man of the Indian army, a good-natured gossiping man, a great Shickaree by his own account. Austin had listened to his tiger-stories often, and wished it had

been some one else who had come with the message now-some one possibly, with whom he could have picked a quarrel.

Captain Jackson began: "Is there no way out of this miserable business?"

"Do you see any, Jackson," said Austin, eagerly.

Well, I am sorry to say that we are determined (utterly against my wishes, mind you) to go through with it. And I am sorry to say that we (utterly against my wish), having been insulted in the house, when we passed it over, and being again grossly insulted to-night, are determined to have a public apology."

"That is impossible," said Austin.

you what I will do."

"But I'll tell

"I don't think you have anything much to do with it, have you, Elliot? You should say what we will do."

What I will do is this," said Austin. Barty is in bed and asleep. I will myself meet Hertford, and exchange shots to-morrow morning, before Barty awakes."

"I am sorry to say," said Captain Jackson, "that we, knowing your nobleness of character, have anticipated that course of action, and that we won't have it

at all. Lord Charles Barty must apologize, come out,

or"

"God help us," said Austin.

"Amen!" said Captain Jackson sincerely. "You have never been at this sort of thing before. You will have to leave a good deal to me. If you will trust me, before God, to whom we both must give an account of to-morrow morning's work, I will see everything fair. You have no pistols."

"No!"

"Will you let me bring mine? They are smoothbored and devilish bad. We may get out of it in that way. Got passports?"

"Then you must come with us. Hertford warned me that something was in the wind yesterday, and made me get a family passport, in which our worthy captain figures as Mr. Jones père, and Lord Charles, you and I, as his promising sons. If one of us is taken ill we can account for it. Hertford, of course, having the character of a man rather too ready for this sort of thing, wishes to stand with the world as the soul of chivalry. So he made me get the passport. God grant it may not be needed."

"God grant it," said Austin."

"Once more, Amen. With regard to time and place?"

"What do you propose?"

"I am sɔrry to say," said Captain Jackson, "that we, having provided the aforesaid family passport, are more in a position to insist than to propose. We, unless you can bring strong reasons against it, propose the firs at Hampstead, at half-past seven to-morrow morning. It must be so, my dear Elliot, or we shall be stopped. The qua el has been heard of, and the affair will be stopped else. If you oppose an early meeting, your man's reputation won't be worth an old shoe."

It was undeniable. Austin agreed, and the captain departed.

Austin went round to the stables, where his own horses were kept, and to his terror found that all was dark and shut up. He did not know exactly where his own servant slept, or he would have tried to arouse him. What between his terror for his friend's reputation and his terror at his friend's danger, he was nearly mad. He was at this moment very nearly going to the police-office and putting the matter before them, but he dared not. If he had done such a thing as that, his friend would for ever after have been.