T thrilled Wilfred's soul, the evening of his arrival, to see the English uniform in the streets, and to hear his native tongue spoken by many amidst the motley crowds which throng the streets of Hong Kong. The young man was not long in making his way to the barracks, and, reaching them, he felt he had reached his goal. An English sentinel was pacing up and down before the barrack gate, and a smart young sergeant was standing before it, tapping his well-polished boot with a light cane. To him Wilfred forthwith addressed himself, and the two might shortly afterwards have been seen discussing, at the civilian's expense, a couple of cooling drinks at a neighbouring tavern. The result of this interview was, that on the following morning Wilfred Smith

attained the great purpose of his coming to China, by enlisting as a private in theth Infantry, then under orders to sail for India.

In a few days all was ready, and the transport sailed. On arriving in port, Private Smith's regiment was at once ordered up country, and no sooner had it reached its destination than Wilfred volunteered to join the Fortieth Dragoons, then about to start for the seat of war.

Private Smith was at first a mystery to his comrades. That he was a gentleman by birth they knew at once. That he had nothing of the "lardydardy" fine gentleman about him they found out almost as quickly. There was no better horseman in the regiment, and he could groom, and loved to groom, the serviceable creature assigned to him, as well as he could ride him. He learned his drill in an extraordinarily short space of time, and seemed to take an interest and delight in manoeuvres which most soldiers would have given worlds or a week's pay to be able to shirk. Upon several occasions Private Smith was asked to become servant to an officer, but he always refused. When it was pointed out to him that, by accepting the situation, he would have more liberty, more pay, and various perquisites, he always answered, "I had rather remain in the

rely punished. Upon this, Tozer, who was ulking fellow, seized the lad with one hand, with the other he gave him a violent box on

ave that boy alone," said Smith, looking up the camp bed on which he was sprawling, g a book.

That's that you say?" bellowed the Corporal.

said, 'Leave that boy alone,' and I say that, if lon't, it will be the worse for you."

e only answer, and that a brutal one, was her buffet upon the boy's head. In a moment th had sprung from his bed, and with a wellated blow had felled the Corporal to the ground. brute rose, and muttering, "I'll make you pay this," shambled out of the room. The boy's titude knew no bounds, and the other men, wding about Smith, congratulated him on the scomfiture of the bully. Next day-for rage, like e, makes men blind-Tozer had the almost indible folly to report Private Smith for striking m. An investigation followed, and it being conusively proved that Smith had struck the blow 1 defence of a lad who had refused to do an illegal ct, he was at once acquitted, and the stripes being cut from Tozer's arm, the bully was reduced to the

ranks and learn my duty," and remain he did. One young officer took his refusal very much to heart. "I know why you refuse, Smith," he said; "it's because I am a nobody, and you are a gentleman; and, to tell you the truth, I thought you could make a gentleman of me, if we were more together; and you see, with these confounded rules and customs of the service, I can't see as much of you as I wish, while you are in the ranks." This brave lad and good officer was a hairdresser's son from Oxford, and he afterwards fell, sword in hand, before Candahar. No bad word was ever known to escape from Smith's lips, and as he seemed to loathe the coarser temptations of barrack life, some of the worst set in the regiment took it into their heads that "Gentleman Smith," for so they called him, could be bullied with impunity. They soon found they were mistaken, The troop to which Smith belonged was quartered in a small barracks in an out-station, away from the rest of the regiment. One night, the Corporal of Smith's room, a man named Tozer, ordered a small trumpeter to climb over the barrack wall and fetch him a bottle of rum from the shop of a sutler outside. The boy vainly protested against this order, on the ground that the drop from the wall was too great, and that, if caught, he would