izo ARDENMOHR. 



By-and-by the half-drowned post-boy came with 

 the letters all satisfactory except one, which Ward 

 pitched on the sofa with an angry growl. 



" Hillo ! Hope, no bad news, I trust," said the 

 Major ; " anything wrong ? " 



" Wrong enough and to spare," Ward replied. 

 " Here is Anthony C , barrister-at-law, my half- 

 uncle and self-appointed guardian, fearing I am losing 

 time in Scotland." 



" Ah, dear ! another advice-grievance; but no great 

 harm in that." 



u No; but some cheekiness, and much conceit. The 



idea of C- , who is no great things, after his long 



life of self-seeking presuming to speak of a sojourn 

 here as lost time ! " 



I noticed the Major looking humorously at Ward's 

 angry face, so I listened for some fun. 



"Tell him gently, Hope," the Major said, " that 

 we do not lose time." 



" I trow not; but how mighty vexatious are these 

 platitudes about saving minutes and halfpence, as if 

 one's very breathing-intervals should be utilised in 

 glancing at Plato or polishing one's razors ! " 



" Still, many wise people so speak of stolen 

 minutes." 



