day, and he was dining after business hours with a brother magistrate. Walter, full of life and spirits, rattled away to his heart's content, laughing boisterously at his own jokes, which he poured forth the more continuously because he saw that Amos was more than usually indisposed to merriment. "By-the-by, Tom," he said suddenly to one of his companions, "what about the boat-race? When is it to come off?" "In September," replied his friend. "But we are in a little difficulty. You know Sir James has lent us the Park for the occasion, and a capital thing it will be; for we can make a good two miles of it by rowing round the ornamental water twice. It is to be a four-oared match; four Cambridge against four Oxford men, old or young, it doesn't matter. It is to be part of the fun on the coming of age of Sir James's eldest son. I rather think he was born on the eighth. Young James is a Cambridge man and a capital oar, and I'm of the same college, and so is Harrison here, as you know, and we shall have no difficulty in finding a fourth; but we are rather puzzled about the Oxford men. We can calculate upon three, but don't know where to look for the fourth. I wish, Walter, you'd been old enough, and a member of the university." "Ay, Tom, I wish I had been. But, by-the-by, there's no difficulty after all. Here's Amos, an Oxford man, and a very good oar too--he's just the very man you want." It was quite true, as Walter said, that Amos had been a good rower at the university. Rowing was one of the few amusements in which he had indulged himself, but he had never joined a racing boat though often solicited to do so. "What do you say, Amos?" asked his young companion. "Will you join us, and make up the Oxford four complete? We shall be really much obliged if you will; and I'm sure you'll enjoy it." "Thank you," replied Amos; "it's very kind of you to ask me, I'm sure. I should have liked it had I been able to undertake it, but I am sorry to say that it cannot be." "Cannot be!" exclaimed Walter. "Why, what's to hinder you?" "I cannot spare the time just now," said his brother quietly. "Not spare the time!--not spare half-an-hour one fine afternoon in September! Dear me! you must be oppressed with business. What is it? It isn't farming, I know. Is it legal business? Have you got so many appointments with the Lord Chancellor that he can't spare you even for one day?" "It will not be only for one day," replied Amos quietly. "If the race is to be a real trial of skill and strength we must train for it, and have many practices, and I cannot promise to find time for these." "Oh, nonsense! Why not? You've nothing to do." "I have something to do, Walter, and something too that I cannot give up for these practisings." "What! I suppose you think such vanities as these waste of precious time."