Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-07

be doing. The crammer's all very
well in his way, OF course but, de-
pend upon it, the erammer by himself
won't get you through. What's needed
is private study"
Harry turned his handsome dark eyes
upon his uncle---s very dark, almost
gypsy-looking face altogether, Har'
ry's--and answered, deprecatingly'
"Well, sir. and don't ! go in for prI-
vate study? Didn't read up Samson
Agonistes all by myself right through
yesterday"
81 don't know wbst Samson Some
thipe.or.o,her is" the old gentleman
replied. testify. What the dickens
has Samson Something or-other to do
with the preparation Of military man,
I should like to know, sir"
"It's the English-litorature book for
the exam, you know" Harry answer
ed. with a quiet smile. q" We've got
to get it up, you see, with all the allu-
sions and what-yOu.may-Call-its, for
direct commission. It's sort of a
play, think should call it, by John
! Milton"
"Oh, it's the English literature, is
it," the old Colonel went on. some
what Modified. :" In my time, Harry,
we weren't expected to know anything
about English literature. The Arti-
cles Of War and the 'Ohcer's Com
panion by Authority that was the
kind Of literature We used to 30 ex-
amined in. But nowadays they ex-
pect a soldier to l.. read up in Samson
Something-Or-other-do they, really?
Well, well; let them have their
fad-let them have their fad, poor crea-
lures. Still, Harry, | am very much
afraid you are wasting your time
and your money also. If | thought
you only went to the Whitmarshes' to
see Miss Milly, now, shouldn't mind
so much about it. Miss Milly is very
charming, sweet, young creature, cer-
INDEPENDENTLY pretty, too, ex-
tremely pretty don't denyit. You're
young yet to 90 making yourself agree
able, my boy, to pretty girl like that
You ought to wait for that sort Of thing
till you've got your majority. or, at
least, your company-a young man
reading for direct commission has no
business to go stutlng his head cram
full with love and nonsense. No, no
he should leave it all free for fortiiica-
ton, and the general Instructions, and
Samson Something or. other, if soldiers
can't be made nowadays without Eng
lish literature. But still, | don't so
much object to that, say--a sweet
girl, certainly, Miss Milly-what DO
object to is your knocking about SO
much at biliard-rooms, and so forth,
with that young fellow Whitmarsh-
not a very nice young fellow, or good
companion for you either, Harry. I'm
afraid-l'm afraid, my boy, he makes
you spend great deal too much
money"
Give never yet had to ask you to
increase my allowance, sir" the young
man answered haughtily, with a curious
glance sideways at his uncle.
wilkins, " Sir Thomas put in. with
a nod to the butler, Ego down and
bring up a bottle Of the old Madeira.
Harry, my boy, don't let us discuss
questions of this sort before the SER
wants. My boy, I've never kept you
short Of money in any way, hope;
and if ! ever do, trust you'll tell me
of it. tell me of it Immediately"
HaTry's dark cheeks burned bright
for & moment, but he answered never
single word. and went on eating his
dinner silently, with a very hang-dog
look indeed upon his handsome features.
At $50 Sir Thomas drove down to
the club, and when be reached the door
dismissed the cOachman. Il shall walk
back. Norton" he said. " | shan't want
you again this evening. Don't let them
sit up for me. | mayn't be home till .
in the morning"
Bus as soon as the coachman had had
full time to get back again in perfect
safety, Sir Thomas walked straight
down the club steps once more. and up
the Promenade, and all the way to
Futteypoor Lodge. When he got there
~ oDened the door silently with his
Iatcb.key. Shut it again without the
slightest noise, and walked on tlptoe
into the library.
II was an awkward sort Of thing to
do certainly, but Sir Thomas was con-
WINGED in his own mind that he ought
to do it. lie wheeled an eaSy-chalr
into the recess by the window, IN front
of which the curtains were drawn, ar
ranged the folds so that he could see
easily into the room by the slit between
them. and sat down patiently TO en-
More this mystery to the very bottom.
Sir Thomas was extremely 10th IN
his own mind to suspect anybody, and
vet it was quite clear that some one or
other must have taken the missing
sovereigns. Twice over money had
been distracted. ltcOuldn' have been
the cook-of that he felt certain; nor
wilkins either. Very respectable
woman, cook-yery respectable butler,
wilkins. Nor Morton; oh, dear, no,
quite impossible; certainly not Nor
ton. Not the housemaid or the boy;
obviously neither; well-conducted
young people, every one of them. But
who the dickens could it be then: For
certainly somebody had taken the
money. The good old Colonel felt in
his heart that for the sake of every
body's peace Of mind it was his bounden
duty to discover the real culprit before
saying a single word to any one about 1t.
There was something very ridiculous,
of course, not to say undigniiled and
absurd, in the idea Of an elderly field
officer, late in her Majesty'S service sit
ting thus for hour after hour stealthlly
behind his own curtains, in the dark, as
if he were thief or a burglar, waiting
to see whether anybody came to open
his davenport. Sir Thomas grew de-
cidedly wearied as he watched and
waited, and but for his strong sense of
the duty imposed upon him of tracking
the guilty person, he would once OF