'Please God it may in time,' was the curious reply of Goring, as he put a dash of brandy into his coffee, and then looked over the shoulder of Jerry to re-peruse his letter again. It ran thus: 'Gray's Inn Square. 'DEAR SIR, 'We have the pleasure to inform you that by the death of your father's much respected cousin, Bevil Goring, Esq., of Chowringee, Calcutta, you have become his heir to a fortune of considerably above £20,000 per annum in India stock, bank shares, Central India and other railway shares, &c., the items of which we shall send you fully detailed in a few days. We shall take all the necessary measures about proving the will, and, trusting that we shall be continued as your legal advisers, we are, dear sir, yours faithfully, 'TAYPE, SHAWRPE, AND SCRAWLY, '_Solicitors._' More accustomed to wealth, and personally less interested in the document, Jerry took in the situation at once. 'Whoop!' he exclaimed, as he wrung Goring's hand. 'Whoop and hurrah! I congratulate you, I do, from my heart and soul, old fellow. There is not a soul in the Brigade deserves good fortune more than you do. What a trump this old Bevil was to die just in the nick of time, before the route came!' 'What do you mean by that, Jerry?' 'You'll be sending in your papers--cutting the Rifles now. A fortune, by Jove--I always knew you had expectations, as they are called.' 'Every fellow has; they are often, too often, bad things to rely upon; and yet how few--how very few amongst us can resist the temptation of doing so in some fashion or other. But as for quitting the corps--with war rumours in the air too--by Jove, that is the last thing I should think of doing.' 'Egad! What a night we'll have of it at the mess hut to-night--a jolly deep drink, and have the band out!' 'I wish this fortune--money or whatever it is--had only come a little sooner,' said Goring, as his thoughts fled at once to the absent Alison. 'Better late than never!' 'There sounds the bugle, and now for every-day life, and a truce to the world of dreams, if possible! What a lot I shall be able to do now for the men of my company--their wives and little ones--for the corps generally!' 'Only take care that the mess don't begin to look upon you as their factor, and be seized with a singular desire to possess your autograph. I know what that sort of thing means,' added Jerry, as his mind wandered to Mr. Chevenix and the mortgages. 'The worst of being poor is that one can never follow one's inclinations for good.' 'Or for evil,' added Jerry, cynically.