‘I suspect we have got two of them, and are on the traces of the others. They are Louth men, and were sent special here to give me a lesson, as they call it. That’s what our blessed newspapers have brought us to. Some idle vagabond, at his wits’ end for an article, fastens on some unlucky country gentleman, neither much better nor worse than his neighbours, holds him up to public reprobation, perfectly sure that within a week’s time some rascal who owes him a grudge--the fellow he has evicted for non-payment of rent, the blackguard he prosecuted for perjury, or some other of the like stamp--will write a piteous letter to the editor, relating his wrongs. The next act of the drama is a notice on the hall door, with a coffin at the top; and the piece closes with a charge of slugs in your body, as you are on your road to mass. Now, if I had the making of the laws, the first fellow I’d lay hands on would be the newspaper writer. Eh, Master Atlee, am I right?’ ‘I go with you to the furthest extent, my lord.’ ‘I vote we hang Joe, then,’ cried Dick. ‘He is the only member of the fraternity I have any acquaintance with.’ ‘What--do you tell me that you write for the papers?’ asked my lord slyly. ‘He’s quizzing, sir; he knows right well I have no gifts of that sort.’ ‘Here’s dinner, papa. Will you give Nina your arm? Mr. Atlee, you are to take me.’ ‘You’ll not agree with me, Nina, my dear,’ said the old man, as he led her along; ‘but I’m heartily glad we have not that great swell who dined with us yesterday.’ ‘I do agree with you, uncle--I dislike him.’ ‘Perhaps I am unjust to him; but I thought he treated us all with a sort of bland pity that I found very offensive.’ ‘Yes; I thought that too. His manner seemed to say, “I am very sorry for you, but what can be done?”’ ‘Is the other fellow--the wounded one--as bad?’ She pursed up her lip, slightly shrugged her shoulders, and then said, ‘There’s not a great deal to choose between them; but I think I like him better.’ ‘How do you like Dick, eh?’ said he, in a whisper. ‘Oh, so much,’ said she, with one of her half-downcast looks, but which never prevented her seeing what passed in her neighbour’s face. ‘Well, don’t let him fall in love with _you_,’ said he, with a smile, ‘for it would be bad for you both.’ ‘But why should he?’ said she, with an air of innocence. ‘Just because I don’t see how he is to escape it. What’s Master Atlee saying to you, Kitty?’ ‘He’s giving me some hints about horse-breaking,’ said she quietly. ‘Is he, by George? Well, I ‘d like to see him follow you over that fallen timber in the back lawn. We’ll have you out, Master Joe, and give you a field-day to-morrow,’ said the old man. ‘I vote we do,’ cried Dick; ‘unless, better still, we could persuade Miss Betty to bring the dogs over and give us a cub-hunt.’ ‘I want to see a cub-hunt,’ broke in Nina. ‘Do you mean that you ride to hounds, Cousin Nina?’ asked Dick.