91 The Procrastinator. [JAN. 



your directions : forgive me, but you seem strangely infatuated by a 

 habit of procrastinating." 



" Why, yes, but I can't help it it's a family failing. But what's 

 the matter with your cheek it is dreadfully swollen?" 



" Only the tooth-ache." 



" How could you possibly get the tooth-ache ?" 



" Rather, how could I avoid it ? there is not, I do believe, an entire 

 pane of glass in the castle." 



" My dearest love, I am distressed beyond all measure and as soon 

 as I am dressed presently I'll send a man and horse off to Bally trane 

 for glazier, mason, and every tradesman, who can by any possibility be 

 wanted to set every thing in order/' 



He went so far with this resolve as to ring for his valet, but instead 

 of the valet came his withered nurse, bearing in her arms Fido, his 

 favourite dog, in the agonies of death. 



" Good heavens, Milly how came this ?" 



" The puir beast went into Mad Ronald's stall, and the animal as ye 

 see, jist kict the life out o' him !" The uncomplaining but suffering 

 dog crawled to his master's feet, and looked piteously in his face. 



" My poor Fido my faithful old friend;" murmured Mount Doyne, 

 kindly, while he examined injuries which he saw it would be in vain 

 to attempt to heal ; " but how is this I always understood that Ronald 

 was kept in a separate stable his vicious tricks are known of old ?" 



" Heck, ye may say that ! but what's to hinder any livin' thing 

 from ganging into his stall the door has no hinges, ye ken, and winna 

 stay shut ?" 



" It is a cruel case," said Mount Doyne, " that amongst the household 

 nothing of the sort is attended to." 



" My bairn, my bairn," replied the crone, " ye attend to naething 

 y'er ain sell ; and the house ainly follows y'er example." 



'' My poor Fido I" continued his master, " I never past that stable- 

 door, without intending " 



" Hush, hush !" interrupted the nurse, laying her skinny finger on 

 her lip ; heard ye ne'er that * Hell is paved wi' good intentions?' y'er 

 winsome wife is aye too young ; she canna be expected to ken the care 

 o' sich matters ; but for her sake, e'en more than y'er ain, see, an' act 

 ere it be ow'r late. The gloaming is o'er ye now, but beware o' the 

 night." 



Mount Doyne heard little and heeded less the old woman's advice, 

 for he was witnessing, without the power of alleviating, the dying 

 agonies of his poor favourite ; his gentle wife shared in his feelings, 

 and when Fido's expiring effort was to lick the fair hand which had so 

 often caressed and ministered to its wants, she turned silently away, 

 unwilling that even her husband should witness the emotion which 

 she could not suppress. 



More than four years had passed into the gulph of time. On the 

 whole, matters, at Castle Mount Doyne, were rather worse than better. 

 To those acquainted with how things were managed in what were most 

 falsely termed " good old establishments," in the sister country, a true 

 picture of coarse, yet lavish expenditure, has been often presented 

 a house filled with guests, from the garret to the kitchen some of them, 

 it is true, of high and honourable distinction but the majority con- 

 sisting of poor and idle relatives, too proud to work but not too proud 



