Peck family, fever also, living at the filthiest end of the village; themselves about the dirtiest in it; with a stream rushing by fresh enough to wash and cleanse a whole town. Widow Haynes, rheumatism, from field-work, and living in a damp room with earthen floor, half underground; decent woman, gets half-a-crown a-week from the parish, but will not be able to earn anything for months; and what is to become of all the children? Treherne settled that question, and one or two more; poor fellow, his purse is as open as his heart just now; but among his other luxuries he may as well taste the luxury of giving.'Tis good for him; he will be Sir Augustus one of these days. Is his goddess aware of that fact, I wonder? What! is cynicism growing to be one of my vices? and against a woman too? One of whom I absolutely know nothing, except watching her for a few moments at a ball. She seems to be one of the usual sort of officers' belles in country quarters. Yet there may be something good in her. There was, I feel sure, in that large-eyed sister of hers. But let me not judge--I have never had any opportunity of understanding women. This subject was not revived, till, the tobacco-hunger proving too strong for him, my friend Romeo began to fidget, and finally rose. "I say, Doctor, you won't tell the governor--it would put him in an awful fume?" "What do you mean?" "Oh--about Miss -------- you know. I've been a great ass, I suppose, but when a girl is so civil to one--a fine girl, too--you saw her, did you not, dancing with me? Now isn't she an uncommonly fine girl?" I assented. "And that Granton should get her, confound him! a great logger-headed country clown." "Who is an honest man, and will make her a kind husband. Any other honest man who does not mean to offer himself as her husband, had much better avoid her acquaintance." Treherne coloured again; I saw he understood me, though he turned it off with a laugh. "You're preaching matrimony, Doctor, surely. What an idea! to tie myself up at my age. I shan't do the ungentlemanly thing either. So good-night, old fellow." He lounged out, with that lazy, self-satisfied air which is misnamed aristocratic. Yet I have seen many a one of these conceited, effeminate-looking, drawing-room darlings, a curled and scented modern Alcibiades, fight--_like_ Alcibiades; and die--as no Greek ever could die--like a Briton. "Ungentlemanly,"--what a word it is with most men, especially in the military profession. Gentlemanly,--the root and apex of all honour. Ungentlemanly,--the lowest term of degradation. Such is our code of morals in the army; and, more or less, probably everywhere. An officer I knew, who, for all I ever heard or noticed, was himself as true a gentleman as ever breathed; polished, kindly, manly, and brave, gave me once, in an argument on duelling, his definition of the word. "A _gentleman_--one who never does anything he is ashamed of, or that would compromise his honour."