The Real Charlotte. 205 



" By the bye, Dysart," he observed presently, " have you 

 heard anything of Hawkins since he left ? " 



Christopher turned round. " No, I don't know anything 

 about him except that he's gone to Hythe." 



" Gone to hide, d'ye say ? " Lambert laughed noisily in 

 support of his own joke. 



" No, Hythe." 



" It seems to me its more likely it's a case of hide," 

 Lambert went on with a wink ; he paused, fiddled with his 

 teaspoon, and smiled at his own hand as he did so. 

 " P'raps he thought it was time for him to get out of this." 



" Really ? " said Christopher, with a lack of interest that 

 was quite genuine. 



Lambert's pulse bounded with the sudden desire to wake 

 this supercilious young hound up for once, by telling him a 

 few things that would surprise him, 



" Well, you see it's a pretty strong order for a fellow to 

 carry on as Hawkins did, when he happens to be engaged." 



The fact of Mr. Hawkins' engagement had, it need 

 scarcely be said, made its way through every highway and 

 byway of Lismoyle ; inscrutable as to its starting-point, im- 

 possible of verification, but all the more fascinating for its 

 mystery. Lambert had no wish to claim its authorship ; he 

 had lived among gentlemen long enough to be aware that 

 the second-hand confidences of a servant could not credit- 

 ably be quoted by hmi. What he did not know, however, 

 was whether the story had reached Bruff, or been believed 

 there, and it was extremely provoking to him now that in- 

 stead of being able to observe its effect on Christopher, 

 whose back was to the light, his discoveries should be 

 limited to the fact that his own face had become very red 

 as he spoke. 



"I suppose he knows his own affairs best," said Christopher, 

 after a silence that might have meant anything, or nothing. 



" Well," leaning back and putting his hands in his pockets, 

 " I don't pretend to be strait-laced, but d — n it, you know, 

 I think Hawkins went a bit too far." 



" I don't think I have heard who it is that he is engaged 

 to," said Christopher, who seemed remarkably unaffected by 

 Mr. Hawkins' misdemeanours. 



*' Oh, to a Yorkshire girl, a Miss — what's this her name 



