“O, I suppose I must sell him; not much difficulty about that. He wouldn’t be a shadow of use to me unless I entered him; which is, of course, out of the question now. I will see John about it this afternoon. There are lots of men who would give as much or more than I did for him. So that’s settled; and you may say so, if you like, with my compliments to old Dub.” “I’ll do it, of course, if you wish it,” said Horace, after deliberating for a few moments on his brother’s proposal; “but I can’t help thinking--don’t fancy, though, that I want to get off--that this is the kind of thing a man had better do himself.” “Do you think so? Well, then, I don’t,” said Arthur, laughing: “and that makes all the difference. I should be sure to make a mess of it, while you are the coolest hand possible at that kind of thing. On the whole, it has just occurred to me, after I’ve seen John about the nag, that it wouldn’t be half a bad move to go to Pemberton’s for a week or so. He has been asking me to pay them a visit for weeks past, and I should escape from the festivities, as they call them, at the Guernseys’ next week. I hate that kind of thing infernally; and _engaged_ people in public are always in a ridiculous position. Yes, I think I certainly will go for a week or so to Sir Richard’s.” “Very good,” rejoined Horace; he was wise, as I before remarked, for his years, and therefore forbore (albeit he had his own opinion on the subject) any comment on his brother’s sudden resolution to leave the Chace during Lady Guernsey’s “popularity week.” “Very good; but, Atty”--as his brother, throwing open the French window, gave evident tokens of a desire to cut short the interview,--“you are quite sure it’s all on the square about the colt? Of course you mean it now,” he added hastily, as Arthur turned round a red and angry face; “but everyone is liable to be tempted--I am sure that _I_ am--and seeing Rough Diamond again might--” “Not a bit of it. Don’t be afraid. I know what I’m about; only it’s not fair to John to leave him in the dark about it: so I’m off. No occasion to answer Mr. Duberly’s letter, I suppose, till to-morrow?” “Well, I should say there is. However, I’ll ask my mother. It was written to her, though what old Dub was thinking of when he did that same is more than I can guess.” “Lady Mill was deucedly indignant at the liberty,” said Arthur, laughing. “Few things have ever amused me more than my mother’s anxiety for this marriage, and her intense disgust at being brought into contact with any of the Duberly lot.” “I wonder which will behave the worst at the wedding, old Dub or my lady! In quite another way he has ten times her pride, but then he is far more deficient in polish.” They both laughed lightly at the ideas which this remark called up; and after a few more last words, each brother departed on his own separate errand.