The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-01-07

know what tort is?"
 "No, never heard of such thing 7 replied the unabashed Thornton; "but 1 know what retort is."
 At this sally the frivolous Croft's laughed but Burnet turned round on Thornton and said
 "You had better find out before you are a day older, or you will hardly be fit for cape lawyer"
 That was very rude of Burnet, but Thornton only smiled at him, knocked his cigar ash into the fire and rang for Looms. We all felt, too, that Burnet had had great provocation. For 8 man to come in and smoke in the pupil-room-a man, too, who did not know what tort was-the thing was disgraceful; few months ago we should have said it was impossible. Looms fetched him the book, and Thornton turned it over carelessly. At last he jumped up, looked at his watch, saying, "I think I'll look in on Halliwell," and walked out of the room.
 Five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour passed, but still he did not re- turn. Then Looms came in with a long, melancholy face, and said:
 Really, MT. Burnet, I wish you would go in and see MT. Halliwell. There's Wilson's clerk waiting for his papers, and you know we must not keep him waiting. MT. Thornton has been with MT. Halliwell over half an hour, and it's as much as my place is worth to go and tell him again."
 Burnet got up and went, with & deep sigh; for the honor of Halliwelps was as dear to him as the fees were to Looms. When he returned he was more exasperated than ever. II can't understand the fellow Thornton" he broke out. "There he is sitting op- posite Halliwell, whose wig is all askew, and, as far as could make out, they were telling each other funny stories. There was shout of laugh ter as 1 entered. When I mentioned the papers Halliwell looked quite mad , cursed me-to himself, as he thought and said, half apologetically, to Thorn ton, that he thought he must do them"
 Thornton came in a few minutes af- forwards for his hat and coat, and went out to lunch, nor did he return all day.
 The new pupil remained & terrible mystery to all of us. One day Crofts said he saw him driving down Middle Temple Lane in little single brough- am very neatly appointed. Another day, after he had been there about a week, when we were sitting in cham bers one afternoon, Looms came in with card and said lady was wait ing for MT. Thornton, and Thornton jumped up hurriedly and ran out. Only we saw him-all except Burnet, whose pride would not let him peep over the wire blinds into the court and noted that the lady was very good looking; rather like Ethel Kirley, the actress, Crofts said, but his mind was always running on actresses. Looms said she came in carriage and pair, and they drove off together, and, with his usual idiocy, he couldn't even tell us the name on the card. Burnet said it was perfectly disgraceful, and Hal hwell ought not to stand it; but we all thought Halliwell stood it remark ably we'll. Thornton generally spent an hour day in HalliwelPs sanctum, telling him stories, we guessed, from the occasional shouts of laughter that reached the pupil-room. Only Thorn ton never told us stories, and in fact took very little notice of us at all. Crofts was the only exception, and he and Thornton chummed together to some extent. Thornton rather patron ized Crofts, and Crofts seemed to fall in with his humor. They chatted about theatricals, sporting topics, and the like, on which Thornton seemed to be an authority.
 Once Crofts walked down the strand into the park with him, and actually told us that Macready - the great Macready-had nodded to Thornton in friendly manner, and that the prince had distinctly bowed to him from his carriage.
 We did not quite believe all this, put Crorts stuck to IL stontly, though he could offer no explanation of it, and Thornton did not tell him how he got to know his highncss, or, rather, how the prince knew him. saw him once on the steps of the Carlton club, chatting in the most friendly way with Lord Barndore, the late secretary for India. Next morning I asked him how he knew him-for I knew his lordship slightly-and he told me he was friend of his fathers, and passed the thing by. The fact was we could not understand what manner of man Halliwell's new pupil was. He pug zled each of us, and disgusted the seri- ous Burnet beyond measure. After he had been in chambers about three weeks-and never remember his at- tempting to draw a plea during the