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more and more, and at length scarcely a day elapsed when he could not be found ostensibly assisting the girl in sorting or stamping the letters which were put into the post-box. This sort of familiarity would have been resented by any prudent father, but Mr. Slocombe rather encouraged it than not, and often remarked, when he was in a boozy condition, which was by no means an occurrence, "what a foine thing it 'ud be if his smart gal Bet was to 'ook a young lord."

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One day Wilfred went to the post-office to purchase stamps, and, entering the shop, saw Betsey Slocombe and Augustus Cubleigh in the little compartment which shut out the letter department from the groceries. The two were laughing and talking together very confidentially, and occasionally burst out laughing as they examined the letters one by Presently Cubleigh exclaimed, “Look here, Betsey, here's one of that muff Manwaring's letters; I wonder what he's got to say to his sister, he writes to her twice a week, I declare ;" and so saying, he held the letter close to the window on his left hand, and tried to make out through the envelope what was written inside. In a moment Wilfred had leaped over the counter, and had seized the letter out of Cubleigh's hands. "Look here, Cubleigh,"

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he cried with flashing eyes, "don't let me see you touching a letter of mine in that way again. It's a sneaking, blackguardly action which you are committing; you've no business among the letters at all, and if I see you there again, I'll give you the soundest thrashing you ever had in your life. Letters are sacred amongst gentlemen.”

The Honourable Augustus seemed thoroughly cowed by this address, and by the demeanour of the speaker, and his green eyes glared furtively, like those of a cat caught stealing cream. I beg your pardon, Manwaring," he said at length, as he sneaked round the end of the counter into the shop, "but really you needn't be so fierce. I was only helping Betsey to stamp the letters;" and so saying, he walked out of the shop. The next moment the postmaster entered.

"What's all this

row about, Bet, my gal?" he said, addressing his daughter.

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'It means this, Mr. Slocombe," said Wilfred, before the girl could reply, "that if ever again I find anyone with your daughter tampering with the letters, I will write to the Postmaster-General and get you turned out of the place;" and so saying, he left the shop abruptly.

After this circumstance, as has already been

mentioned, a greater coldness than ever prevailed between the two lads; but Wilfred, at all events, was not of a disposition to bear malice, and so the quarrel was patched up, and before long the two were, at least outwardly, on civil, if not on friendly

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YOYILFRED MANWARING'S favourite branch of RED study was history, and to this he added a taste for antiquities, which, in part perhaps, though with a different effect, he had inherited from his father. When he had been at "Ehrenbreitstein" nearly six months, and shortly before the Christmas vacation, an old gentleman in the neighbourhood, who was a noted antiquary, and had a fine collection of ancient coins and medals, invited Dr. Massenger's pupils to come over to inspect them. On the appointed day, it chanced that the young Duke had another engagement, but Wilfred gladly availed himself of the opportunity of seeing objects so closely connected with his favourite branch of study, and went over to Holborough for the purpose,

accompanied by Cubleigh, who professed himself interested in such things, "from a purely æsthetic point of view." Mr. Wilmot-for so the old gentleman was named-was delighted to obtain an audience to whom he might descant upon the beauty and the rarity of his treasures, and when he had finished displaying his coins, he turned to open a cabinet full of choice antique gems. While thus engaged, Mr. Wilmot chanced to be called out of the room, and left his guests to examine the precious stones by themselves. This was a great delight to Wilfred, who had never seen such fine works of art before, and he was soon engrossed in the examination of heads, figures, and groups cut by the subtle fingers of long-dead Greek and Roman artists. The gems, however, did not seem to suit the taste of Cubleigh, who presently left the recess in which the cabinet was placed, and went, as he said, to look at the pictures, of which there were some fine specimens by ancient masters upon the walls. In a few minutes Mr. Wilmot returned, and closed his coin chest regretfully, remarking, as he did so, that he had no one in the neighbourhood to sympathise with him in his taste for numismatics, and that his medals, which had scarcely seen the light for years, might be years longer before they were again

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