cess I obtained in this company. I was, as the Germans would say, "Der Herr Potts SELBST, nicht nach seinen Begebenheiten"the man Potts, not the creature of his belongings.

The man thus freed from his "antecedents," and owning no “relatives,” feels like one to whom a great, a most unlimited credit has been opened, in matter of opinion. Not reduced to fashion his sentiments by some supposed standard becoming his station, he roams at will over the broad prairie of life, enough if he can show cause why he says this or thinks that, without having to defend himself for his parentage, and the place he was born in. Little wonder if, with such a sum to my credit, I drew largely on it; little wonder if I were dogmatical and demonstrative; little wonder if, when my reason grew wearied with facts, I reposed on my imagination in fiction.

"Ah! but could we rely upon you?" I asked.

"That would greatly depend upon the price." "I'll not haggle about terms, nor I'm sure would Keldrum," said I, nodding over to his lordship.

"You are only just to me, in that," said he, smiling.

"That's all fine talking for you fellows who had the luck to be first on the list, but what are poor devils like Oxley and myself to do?" said Hammond. "Taxation comes down to second sons."

"And the Times says that's all right," added Oxley.

And I say it's all wrong; and I say more," I broke in: "I say that of all the tyrannies of Europe, I know of none like that newspaper. Why, sir, whose station, I would ask, now-a-days, can exempt him from its impertinent criticisms? Be it remembered, however, that I only be- Can Keldrum say-can I say-that to-morrow or came what I have set down here after an ex- next day we shall not be arraigned for this, that, cellent dinner, a considerable quantity of cham- or t'other? I choose, for instance, to manage pagne, and no small share of a claret, strong- my estate-the property that has been in my bodied enough to please the priest. I didn't like family for centuries-the acres that have dethat priest. From the moment we sat down to scended to us by grants as old as Magna Charta. table, I conceived for him a sort of distrust. He I desire, for reasons that seem sufficient to mywas painfully polite and civil; he had a soft, slip-self, to convert arable into grass land. I say to pery, Clare accent; but there was a malicious one of my tenant farmers—it's Hedgeworth-no twinkle in his eye that showed he was by nature matter, I shall not mention names, but I say to satirical. Perhaps because we were more read- him—” ing men than the others that it was we soon found ourselves pitted against each other in argument, and this not upon one, but upon every possible topic that turned up. Hammond, I found also, stood by the priest; Oxley was my backer; and his lordship played umpire. Dyke was a shrewd, sarcastic dog in his way, but he had no chance with me. How mercilessly I treated his church!-he pushed me to it-what an exposé did I make of the Pope and his go- 'My mother had some relatives Hedgevernment, with all their extortions and cruel-worths, they were from Herefordshire. How ties! how ruthlessly I showed them up as the odd, Potts, if we should turn out to be consworn enemies of all freedom and enlighten-nexions! you said that these people were rement! The priest never got angry. He was too lated to you." cunning for that, and he even laughed at some "I hope," I said, angrily, "that I am not of my anecdotes, of which I related a great bound to give the birth, parentage, and education of every man whose name I may mention in conversation. At least, I would protest that I have not prepared myself for such a demand upon my memory."

many.

"Don't be so hard on him, Potts," whispered my lord, as the day wore on; "he's not one of us, you know!"

This speech put me into a flutter of delight. It was not alone that he called me Potts, but there was also an acceptance of me as one of his own set. We were, in fact, henceforth "nous autres." Enchanting recognition, never to be forgotten!

"But what would you do with us ?" said Dyke, mildly remonstrating against some severe measures we of the landed interest might be yet driven to resort to.

I don't know-that is to say-I have not made up my mind whether it were better to make a clearance of you altogether, or to bribe you."

"Bribe us by all means, then!" said he, with a most serious earnestness.

"I know the man," broke in the priest; "you mean Hedgeworth Davis, of Mount Davis." "No, sir, I do not," said I, angrily, for I resented this attempt to run me to earth.

Hedgeworth! Hedgeworth! It ain't that fellow that was in the Rifles; the 2nd battalion, is it ?" said Oxley.

"I repeat," said I, "that I will mention no names.'

"Of course not, Potts. It would be a test no man could submit to," said his lordship.

"That Hedgeworth, who was in the Rifles, exceeded all the fellows I ever met in drawing the long bow. There was no country he had not been in, no army he had not served with; he was related to every celebrated man in Europe; and, after all, it turned out that his father was an attorney at Market Harborough, and sub-agent to one of our fellows who had some property there." This was said by Hammond, who directed the speech entirely to me.

"Confound the Hedgeworths, all together," Oxley broke in. "They have carried us miles away from what we were talking of."

This was a sentiment that met my heartiest but I must not anticipate. And now to my concurrence, and I nodded in friendly recogni- tale. tion to the speaker, and drank off my glass to To Hammond's brew there succeeded one by 'his health. Oxley, made after an American receipt, and cer"Who can give us a song? I'll back his re-tainly both fragrant and insinuating, and then verence here to be a vocalist," cried Hammond. And, sure enough, Dyke sang one of the national melodies with great feeling and taste. Oxley followed with something in less perfect taste, and we all grew very jolly. Then there came a broiled bone and some devilled kidneys, and a warm brew which Hammond himself concocted-a most insidious liquor, which had a strong odour of lemons, and was compounded, at the same time, of little else than rum and sugar.

},

came a concoction made by the priest, which he called "Father Hosey's pride." It was made in a bowl, and drunk out of lemon-rinds, ingeniously fitted into the wine-glasses. I remember no other particulars about it, though I can call to mind much of the conversation that preceded it. How I gave a long historical account of my family, that we came originally from Corsica, the name Potts being a corruption of Pozzo, and that we were of the same stock as the celebrated diplomatist Pozzo di Borgo. Our unclaimed There is an adage that says "in vino veritas," estates in the island were of fabulous value, but which I shrewdly suspect to be a great fallacy; in asserting my right to them I should accept at least, as regards my own case, I know it to be thirteen mortal duels, the arrears of a hundred and totally inapplicable. I am, in my sober hours-odd years unscored off, in anticipation of which and I am proud to say that the exceptions from I had at one time taken lessons from Angelo in such are of the rarest-one of the most veracious fencing, which led to the celebrated challenge of mortals; indeed, in my frank sincerity, I have they might have read in Galignani, where I often given offence to those who like a courteous offered to meet any swordsman in Europe for hypocrisy better than an ungraceful truth. ten thousand Napoleons, giving choice of the Whenever, by any chance, it has been my ill-weapon to my adversary. With a tear to the fortune to transgress these limits, there is no bound to my imagination. There is nothing too extravagant or too vainglorious for me to say of myself. All the strange incidents of romance that I have read, all the travellers' stories, newspaper accidents, adventures by sea and land, wonderful coincidences, unexpected turns of fortune, I adapt to myself, and coolly relate them "I will say," said I, "that Minié has shown as personal experiences. Listeners have after-more gratitude than some others nearer home, wards told me that I possess an amount of con- but we'll talk of rifled cannon another time." sistence, a verisimilitude in these narratives per- In an episode about bear-shooting, I menfectly marvellous, and only to be accounted for tioned the Emperor of Russia, poor dear by supposing that I myself must, for the time Nicholas, and told how we had once exchanged being, be the dupe of my own imagination. In-horses, mine being more strong-boned, and deed, I am sure such must be the true expla-a_weight-carrier, his a light Caucasian mare, nation of this curious fact. How, in any other of purest breed, "the dam of that creature mode, explain the rash wagers, absurd and im- you may see below in the stable now," said possible engagements I have contracted in such I, carelessly. "Come and see me one of moments, backing myself to leap twenty-three these days, Potts,' said he, in parting; come feet on the level sward; to dive in six fathoms and pass a week with me at Constantinople.' water and fetch up Heaven knows what of shells This was the first intimation he had ever and marine curiosities from the bottom; to ride given of his project against Turkey, and when the most unmanageable of horses, and, single- I told it to the Duke of Wellington, his rehanded and unarmed, to fight the fiercest bull-mark was a muttered 'Strange fellow, Potts dog in England? Then, as to intellectual feats,-knows everything!' though he made no reply what have I not engaged to perform? Sums of to me at the time."

memory of the poor French colonel that I killed at Sedan, I turned the conversation. Being in France, I incidentally mentioned some anecdotes of military life, and how I had invented the rifle called after Minié's name, and, in a moment of good nature, given that excellent fellow my secret.

mental arithmetic; whole newspapers committed It was somewhere about this period that the to memory after one reading; verse composi-priest began with what struck me as an attempt tions, on any theme, in ten languages; and once, a written contract to compose a whole opera, with all the scores, within twenty-four hours. To a nature thus strangely constituted, wine was a perfect magic wand, transforming a poor, weak, distrustful, modest man, into a hero; and yet, even with such temptations, my excesses were extremely rare and unfrequent. Are there many, I would ask, that could resist the passport to such a dreamland, with only the penalty of a headache the next morning? Some one would perhaps suggest that these were enjoy ments to pay forfeit on. Well, so they were;

to outdo me as a story-teller, an effort I should have treated with the most contemptuous indif ference but for the amount of attention bestowed on him by the others. Nor was this all, but actually I perceived that a kind of rivalry was attempted to be established, so that we were pitted directly against each other. Amongst the other self-delusions of such moments was the profound conviction I entertained that I was master of all games of skill and address, superior to Major A. at whist, and able to give Staunton a pawn and the move at chess. The priest was just as vainglorious. "He'd like to see the man

Done, for fifty pounds; double on the gammon!" cried I.

"Fifty fiddlesticks!" cried he; "where would you or I find as many shillings?"

guardedly withdrew it again, I never had energy to speak to him, but lay passive and still, waiting till my mind might clear, and the cloud-fog that obscured my faculties might be wafted

away.

At last-it was towards evening-the man, possibly becoming alarmed at my protracted "What do you mean, sir?" said I, angrily. lethargy, moved somewhat briskly through the "Am I to suppose that you doubt my com-room, and with that amount of noise that showed petence to risk such a contemptible sum, or be meant to arouse me, disturbed chairs and is it to your own inability alone you would fire-irons indiscriminately. testify ?"

A very acrimonious dispute followed, of which I have no clear recollection. I only remember how Hammond was out-and-out for the priest, and Oxley too tipsy to take my part with any efficiency. At last-how arranged I can't say peace was restored, and the next thing I can recal was listening to Father Dyke giving a long, and of course a most fabulous, history of a ring that he wore on his second finger. It was given by the Pretender, he said, to his uncle, the celebrated Carmelite monk, Lawrence O'Kelly, who for years had followed the young prince's fortunes. It was an onyx, with the letters C. E. S. engraved on it. Keldrum took an immense fancy to it; he protested that everything that attached to that unhappy family possessed in his eyes an uncommon interest. "If you have a fancy to take up Potts's wager," said he, laughingly, "I'll give you fifty pounds for your signet ring."

"Is it late or early?" asked I, faintly. "Tis near five, sir, and a beautiful evening," said he, drawing nigh, with the air of one disposed for colloquy.

I didn't exactly like to ask where I was, and tried to ascertain the fact by a little circumlo. cution. "I suppose," said I, yawning, "for all that is to be done in a place like this, when up, one might just as well stay abed, eh ?"

"Tis the snuggest place anyhow," said he, with that peculiar disposition to agree with you so characteristic in an Irish waiter. "No society ?" sighed I. "No, indeed, sir."

Yesterday was the last of the season, sir; and signs on it, his lordship and the other gentlemen was off immediately after breakfast."

"You mean Lord-Lord-"A mist was clearing slowly away, but I could not yet see clearly.

"Lord Keldrum, sir; a real gentleman every inch of him."

"Oh yes! to be sure-a very old friend of mine," muttered I. And so he's gone, is

he?"

"Yes, sir; and the last word he said was about your honour."

The priest demurred-Hammond interposed -then, there was more discussion, now warm, now jocose. Oxley tried to suggest something, which we all laughed at. Keldrum placed the backgammon board meanwhile, but I can give no clear account of what ensued, though I remember that the terms of our wager were committed to writing by Hammond, and signed by Father D. and myself, and in the conditions there figured a certain ring, guaranteed to have belonged to, and have been worn by, his Royal Highness Charles Edward, and a cream-coloured horse, equally guaranteed as the produce of a Caucasian mare presented by the late Emperor Nicholas to the present owner. The documenting was witnessed by all three, Oxley's name written in two letters, and a flourish.

After that, I played, and lost!

CHAPTER IV.

About me-what was it?"

"Well, indeed, sir," replied the waiter, with a hesitating and confused manner, "I didn't rightly understand it; but as well as I could catch the words, it was something about hop

your honour had more of that wonderful breed of horses the Emperor of Roossia gave you."

"Oh yes! I understand," said I, stopping him abruptly. "By the way, how is Blondelthat is, my horse-this morning ?"

Well, he looked fresh and hearty, when he went off this morning at daybreak

"What do you mean?" cried I, jumping up in my bed. "Went off? where to?"

I CAN recal to this very hour the sensations of headache and misery with which I awoke the morning after this debauch. Racking pain it was, with a sort of tremulous beating all through the brain, as though a small engine had been set "With Father Dyke on his back; and a neater to work there, and that piston, and boiler, and hand he couldn't wish over him. Tim,' says he connecting rod were all banging, fizzing, and to the ostler, as he mounted, 'there's a five-shilling vibrating amid my fevered senses. I was, be-piece for you, for hansel, for I won this baste sides, much puzzled to know where I was, last night, and you must drink my health and and how I had come there. Controversial wish me luck with him.'"

divinity, genealogy, horse-racing, the peerage, I heard no more, but sinking back into the and "double sixes" were dancing a wild cotillion through my brain; and although a waiter more than once cautiously obtruded his head into the room, to see if I were asleep, and as

bed, I covered my face with my hands, overcome with shame and misery. All the mists that had blurred my faculties had now been swept clean away, and the whole history of the