Produced by Al Haines [Illustration: Cover art] MY BRAVE and GALLANT GENTLEMAN A Romance of British Columbia BY ROBERT WATSON McCLELLAND, GOODCHILD & STEWART PUBLISHERS :: :: :: :: TORONTO _Copyright, 1918,_ _By George H. Doran Company_ _Printed in the United States of America_ TO A LADY CALLED NAN CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE SECOND SON II ANOTHER SECOND SON III JIM THE BLACKSMITH IV VISCOUNT HARRY, CAPTAIN OF THE GUARDS V TOMMY FLYNN, THE HARLFORD BRUISER VI ABOARD THE COASTER VII K. B. HORSFAL, MILLIONAIRE VIII GOLDEN CRESCENT IX THE BOOZE ARTIST X RITA OF THE SPANISH SONG XI AN INFORMATIVE VISITOR XII JOE CLARK, BULLY XIII A VISIT, A DISCOVERY AND A KISS XIV THE COMING OF MARY GRANT XV "MUSIC HATH CHARMS--" XVI THE DEVIL OF THE SEA XVII GOOD MEDICINE XVIII A MAID, A MOOD AND A SONG XIX THE "GREEN-EYED MONSTER" AWAKES XX FISHING! XXI THE BEACHCOMBERS XXII JAKE STOPS THE DRINK FOR GOOD XXIII THE FIGHT IN THE WOODS XXIV TWO MAIDS AND A MAN XXV THE GHOUL XXVI "HER KNIGHT PROVED TRUE" MY BRAVE AND GALLANT GENTLEMAN CHAPTER I The Second Son Lady Rosemary Granton! Strange how pleasant memories arise, how disagreeable nightmares loom up before the mental vision at the sound of a name! Lady Rosemary Granton! As far back as I could remember, that name had sounded familiar in my ears. As I grew from babyhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youth, it was drummed into me by my father that Lady Rosemary Granton, some day, would wed the future Earl of Brammerton and Hazelmere. This apparently awful calamity did not cause me any mental agony or loss of sleep, for the reason that I was merely The Honourable George, second son of my noble parent. I was rather happy that morning, as I sat in an easy chair by the library window, perusing a work by my favourite author,--after a glorious twenty-mile gallop along the hedgerows and across country. I was rather happy, I say, as I pondered over the thought that something in the way of a just retribution was at last about to be meted out to my elder, haughty, arrogant and extremely aristocratic rake of a brother, Harry.