the everlasting soldier. Yes, you've been badly bored, dangerously bored, and the consequence is, that when you get a little excitement

real sufferer by" that base unmanly Burridge"; and there, too, another thing why on earth was I so bitter against this man? I had only had a faint glimpse of the situation-a-like last night's adventure, for one-sided view of the matter. Bur- instance-it's too much for you. ridge might be innocent after all; But this must stop; hal this must Burridge might explain. Perhaps and shall stop. What you want is Miss Richmond was a vixen-hys- change and amusement. So you terical people often are. Burridge get up and dress, have some lunmight probably do the right thing cheon, one large glass of sherry, or in the end; and even if he didn't, even two if you like, order your he wasn't trifling with my affec- pony and take a ride. You're tions. What reason had I for this bound, by the by, in common furious animus against the man? civility, to make an apologetic and thanksgiving call on Mrs. Badger; so up with you." I did as my spirit bade me, and began to feel better from that moment.

It was useless reasoning. On recurring to the idea of Burridge, he always took the shape of a base unmanly scoundrel, an infamous rascal, a detestable palterer, and so forth; and my heart swelled with the feeling that I could throttle him, when I thought upon the cruel injuries he had inflicted on Lady Rose; but then it was Miss Richmond he had injured-if, indeed, he had injured any one. Round and round in a circle thus went my feverish thoughts, and my mind felt bruised and hammered like the ground on which the unceasing mill-horse batters his heavy hoofs.

The regimental dogs, who were all my fast friends, came one by one to look after me, and went away saddened and surprised, in that boots and shoes were hurled at them. Jack Leslie came to apologise and make it up, and was grimly told that "it didn't signify." Blackstock, meekly arriving under pretence of looking for the model tongue of the havresack-buckle, attempted to recover favour by reintroducing that subject. It surpassed his belief that sobriety should contemn what supposed inebriety had insulted, but so he found it. At last I sat up and soliloquised. "I see what it is, Donald Bruce, you're hipped that's what you are; you've been bored by that stupid old Ranker,' with his chin-straps, and his knapsacks, and his true position' of

Having fulfilled the earlier part of the programme laid down by my counselling spirit, I mounted my well-bred little chestnut, "Captain Crosstree," and rode away in the direction of F- After the feverish night I had passed, the fresh air and the bright sun, coupled with the exercise, were peculiarly grateful, and before long I began to feel restored to something like myself. "A queer fellow I must be!" thought I, as I rode along. "What could have been the matter with me? Perhaps there is a latent strain of insanity in our family, or perhaps Badger's turtle wasn't so fresh as

no, hang it!" and I was quite unreasonably angry with myself for this solution; and as it was apparent that if I began to think about it again I should have another relapse, I "concluded," as the Yankees say, not to think at all; and availing myself of a nice springy bit of turf on the roadside, I gave Captain Crosstree a breather till the outskirts of F were in sight. Here I was suddenly reminded of Mr. Lewis, my hostthat-should-have-been of the previous evening, and of the propriety of paying my devoirs at his residence in the first instance. Oddly enough, the very first of the series of villas proved to be his; there it