CHAPTER XV.

BETRAYED BY SCIENCE.

SHORT as his life had been, Mr. Richard Talbot had been 'in disgrace' once or twice before, with various sections of society; but the present was perhaps the first occasion in which he could honestly feel that disgrace was unmerited. He had done absolutely nothing-nothing-to cause the obloquy that he now learnt for the first time from Mr. Greene he had incurred from his companions in the break. If they had happened to see him in the gully, sitting side by side with his beloved Lucy, it might be possible indeed-the young fellow blushed at the very notion of itthat his behaviour might have been open

to misconstruction. But he was perfectly confident—and it may be said at once that he was right that neither in that situation, nor when he bade his charmer adieu, had he been within range of the human eye.

For the rest of the journey, therefore, he enjoyed the exquisite luxury of a grievance -of suffering under an unjust charge, with the very nature of which he was unacquainted. As a selfish man, when he does go in for an act of self-denial, generally carries it out to extremity, so Dick played the rôle of injured innocence for the first time to perfection. He enjoyed it, as a low comedian enjoys beyond measure some unexpected opportunity of sustaining the part of an archbishop or a king. A certain dignity sat upon him, which was at the same time mingled with great politeness. When the carriage stopped he would not let the grooms hold back the door, but stood beside it with extended hand to assist Miss Latour in her descent.

To his amazement she waived him aside with a lofty air, backed upon him (if we

may say so of a movement that was at once deliberate and majestic), and handed her young ladies out with her own fingers.. It was the very triumph of deportment.

Pale with passion, Dick rushed away to his own room, whither, as he felt sure would happen, his friend followed him on the instant.

'What the devil does it all mean, Greene? That old harridan' (it was thus he spoke of the domestic chaperon of the Manor) 'would not even let me touch the girls with the tips of my fingers. What have I done? There is some frightful mistake.'

'If you can persuade folks of that, my dear fellow,' returned the other quietly, 'you ought to be made a queen's counsel upon the spot. You cannot deny that the sun shines.'

What has that to do with it?'

'Everything. If it had been a cloudy day---but there. If you were to dress in green and lie on the floor, and swear it, no one would believe in your innocence. Innocence is not your line, my dear Talbot.'

'I don't say what is my line; the point is, what is my crime? I say again, what have I done?'

I can only swear to what I saw you do.'

• You saw me?'

'Yes; but that's nothing. I should have been shocked and saddened of course, but I should have fondly hoped it would not have occurred again; only, unfortunately, Miss Latour saw you too.'

'Confound her !'

By all means; indeed, she was very considerably confounded, I do assure you. Miss Pole also saw you; Miss Meredith also saw you; Chandos the Plunger also saw you; and that was what made it so much worse. If we had been all men, or all ladies, it would not have so much mattered; but unfortunately the company that saw you were of both sexes.'

'Saw me what?' answered Dick impatiently.

Well, really, if you force me to say it,' said Mr. Greene demurely, though I had

much rather not talk of such things.' Here he took out his pocket-handkerchief and wiped his forehead, to express a delicate perturbation of the mind.

I have done nothing to-day that I am ashamed of,' said Dick, drawing himself up, and speaking with great dignity.

'I have not the least doubt of that, my dear fellow,' answered the other frankly. 'But that doesn't prevent other people, especially the ladies, being ashamed of you. You shall hear how it happened from first to last. When we had done feeding at the waterfall, Miss Pole proposed a ramble over the hill, and of course we wanted you to come with us. I hallooed for you myself-only as it happened you were otherwise engaged.'

'I was clambering up the gully,' explained Richard.

'Just so, in search of the picturesque no doubt; so were we. The natural beauties of that hill are very remarkable.

top of it there is a camera.'

On the

'I know it,' said Dick impatiently.

VOL. I.

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