"I could," said Mrs. Tom; "I have only to go down into that street

"Without your shoes and stockings?

could find her barefooted."

You said you

"and ask," said Mrs. Tom, scornfully disregarding him, "where the King was reviewing the soldiers. And I should get my answer, and there she'd be, and him with her. Don't tell me."

"I don't want to tell you. necessary."

But surely this heat is un

"Not at all," said Mrs. Tom. "She gave him time and place before my own eyes: and she was too bold-for him."

"It is all right, though, is it not?" said Silcote.

Oh, it's all right enough," said Mrs. Tom. "But after the way he has served her, she had no business to give him time and place as she did. I wish it had been me." And she shook her head with deep meaning.

"Do you indeed? So you really wish that you had a chance at Archy? But you must reflect that you could not, under any circumstances, marry your brother-in-law; let me advise you to give up this newly-conceived passion for Arthur, and let him marry your cousin quickly. Two such dreadful tongues as yours and his would never have hit it off together, and moreover

"There," said Mrs. Tom, "one mustard seed of nonsense dropped in your way grows into a great tree of nonsense very soon. Do you know that you have to give an account of every idle word you speak? You run off into idle senseless badinage on the text of one single sentence or word. It is a silly habit."

'Yes, my dear," said Silcote. "As soon as you have done blowing me up, suppose we go and see the soldiers?" She kissed him, and said, "You are a good old man. I don't know how you ever got on without me."

"Very badly," said Silcote. "Come, let us jog out together, and see this King and these soldiers, you and me." And so this queer couple jogged out together to gape and stare, like a couple of children, at the soldiers, the King, and everything else abnormal which came in their way.

The courteous Italian crowd which made way for the strange pair only admired their bizarre beauty. Not one in the crowd dreamt that the life of a son and a husband was at stake, in that terrible hurly-burly so soon to begin to the east. And indeed they did not realize it themselves, any more than they realized how deeply they loved him; both believing that their love for him had been killed by his misconduct. Poor fools!

CHAPTER L.

THE KING COMES OUT TO MARSHAL THEM.

THEY were singing in the streets of Turin that afternoon. Groups of them were singing war ballads, love ballads. Nay, not only were arm-in-arm groups singing of war, love, loyalty, of everything save law and divinity; but even solitary walkers piped up, quite unnoticed. Therefore why should not Arthur, with a good voice, not untrained by chorus-masters, pipe up too? He did so, however. A spectacle and scandal amongst tutors and ex-proctors, had they only heard him; which they did not. An ex-tutor, singing out, clear and loud, in the streets of a foreign city, was a thing which no one was prepared for in 1859, and, to tell the truth, is scarcely prepared for now; yet he did, this Balliol man, at the top of his very excellent voice.

"I know the way she went

Past with her maiden posy,

For her feet have touched the meadows,
And have left the daisies rosy."

The street was extremely crowded, but every one was nearly mad with good humour; and Arthur's handsome face was so radiant, that innumerable people greeted him. "A glorious day for Italy, milord," said one. "Very much so indeed," replied Arthur. "We have the sympathies of England, if not her arms, on our side, sir," said another. "Our sympathies are in Italy while our arms are in Hin

dostan," replied Arthur; which was thought to be wonderfully neat, and was bandied about: for it did not take much to please them that day. "Confound it," thought Arthur, "I am being too agreeable; I know I shall get myself kissed directly, and I hate it. But I can't help it."

All this time Miss Lee was sailing on before him, with her veil up, calmly, imperial, looking every one straight in the face, and speaking to any one who spoke to her. She attracted universal and respectful attention.

was proud of her.

Arthur

Along

The great rendezvous was in the Grand Place. the street in which they were came a regiment of bluecoated, steel helmeted, grey-trousered cavalry to join it. The enormously high-piled ornate houses were hung with green, white, and red tri-colours from paving to copingstone, and the windows were thronged with frantic patriots, as were also the streets. It was a splendid and exciting sight; and, as they all went rushing along the narrow street in the rear of the regiment, Arthur's long, dark days of sickness and loss of hope seemed indefinitely removed.

At last they came to the place of the spectacle. Their regiment was the last. Three regiments of cavalry and four of infantry were already drawn up; and, there was the big-chested King himself; and there was Cavour, and there were Generals La Marmora, Fanti, Cialdini—men whose names sound like the ringing of silver bells. Their regiment formed in, and the burly King began to move. Arthur perceived that Miss Lee had got an uncommonly good place, and then found himself face to face with Boginsky.

"A glorious day for Italy," said Boginsky.

"It threatens thunder!" said Arthur.

"And lightning," said Boginsky, who was in company with several "reds."

"I

"How epigrammatic we all are!" said Arthur. myself have said the neatest thing to-day I have said for years. Why, this excitement would sharpen the wits of a mere horse," he continued artfully.

"Of a mere stupid horse, indeed," replied the innocent Boginsky.

"Sharpen his wits so much that he lets the man get on his back. And now they both go away together to kill the stag. Will the man get off when the stag is dead, do you think?"

"The Emperor would never dare," began Boginsky. "Never for a moment," said Arthur; "no one ever dreamt that he would. He is at Genoa now, because he did not dare to keep away. He wants no more black cricket-balls studded with gun nipples, and percussion caps on them. I was not thinking of him."

Said Boginsky, "you puzzle me."

Arthur folded his arms, caught Boginsky's eye, and then looked steadily at the King of Sardinia, who was now within six yards of them. He took off his hat to the King; and as he went past Boginsky towards Miss Lee, he looked into that gentleman's face with a strong stare, which meant volumes. As he went he heard Boginsky gasp out,

"He had better."

Delighted with the purely gratuitous mischief which he had made, Arthur got to the side of Miss Lee just as the King had caught sight of her. There was no doubt whatever of his Majesty's admiration, about which Miss Lee. cared just absolutely nothing at all. She wanted a real good stare at the King, and she got one. If he liked the looks of her it showed his good taste; in the perfect boldness of her perfect innocence it was perfectly indifferent whether he looked at her or not. She wanted to look at him, and the more he looked the more she saw.

Arthur, proudly laughing in his heart, whispered to her, "Take my arm," and she put her hand upon it. In one moment more, unseen of any one, his hand was upon hers, as it lay upon his arm, and their two hands were tightly locked together. Not a word was spoken; what need for words, clumsy words, when their two hands told their tale so truly?

Silcote with Mrs. Tom went gandering about, staring at the soldiers and the shops, and enjoying themselves thoroughly. Silcote bought a large white umbrella lined with green, which took his fancy, and which he used as

a pointer, to point out objects of interest to Mrs. Tom; among other things, pointing out the King when hist Majesty was not four yards from the ferule.

At last they got home, and heard that Miss Lee was home before them. Mrs. Thomas went to seek her, and soon returned.

"It's all right," she said; "I knew it would be. There, you needn't throw your umbrella across the room like a lunatic; though Heaven knows, my dear, I am as glad as you are."

CHAPTER LI.

THE DESERTION OF THE BOYS.

"LET me introduce my friend and travelling companion, Count Boginsky," said Arthur to his father.

"I am delighted to know you, sir," said Silcote, frankly and pleasantly. "I hear from Arthur that you are actually good enough to come to the war with us as cicerone. It is a piece of good luck on which we could not possibly have reckoned."

"Nor I either," said Boginsky. "I shall really believe that times are going to change for the better with me." "They are, sir, they are," said the Squire. "Believe it, sir, that these great concussions shake things into their places. We are going to see a very great thing, sir. I begin to imagine, a very great thing indeed. I am sorry for poor Austria, for I tell you honestly that, with all her political folly, I have a sneaking kindness for Austria. But the world will gain."

"Then you are perfectly sure that Austria is to be beaten ?"

"In the nature of things. Do you doubt? Her cause is not just."

"She fights well, however," said Boginsky, "and her cause is as just now as it was in '49, when she won. I think it is a very doubtful business indeed, sir."