“Poor soul!” thought Alick, as he gazed upon him, “he is ageing very fast. His cares are too much for him. Or, perhaps, he has been ill, or in some distress even greater than usual. I ought to have looked after him long ago. I will do it at once.” And Alick quickened his steps to overtake the poor gentleman, who, in his deep preoccupation of mind, had passed without even lifting his eyes from the ground. Alexander quickly overtook him, and, lightly touching his arm, said: “Everage?” The poor gentleman started, turned around, and, seeing Alexander, looked aghast, as a criminal might at a constable. “How do you do, Everage? I fear you have been ill,” said Alick. Everage shook in every limb, and said nothing. “You _have_ been ill, that is plain enough! Come—shall we hail a cab, and go to Véry’s? It is _my_ turn now, you remember,” said Alick cheerfully. But Everage continued to gaze at him aghast, until at length he got breath enough to gasp: “Good Heaven, my lord, is it you?” “Come, Everage; your nerves are all unstrung, and you’re shocked to see me looking so like a ghost. Indeed, I had liked to have been one. But here I am, alive at least, and likely to get well. Come—shall it be Véry’s?” “No, no, no—not that!” groaned the poor gentleman. “The green-turtle soup is prime; now shall we go to that place in the Exchange?” “No, no, no, Lord Killcrichtoun! I can go nowhere to eat or to drink with you! I cannot! I cannot! Heaven have mercy on me! I am a lost soul.” “Why, what is the matter with you, Everage?” “I am ill, ill, ill!” “Your nervous system is broken down; life has been too hard with you, my friend! But come—I have news for you that will cheer you up! Let us drop into the nearest tavern, and get a private room, where we may converse confidentially,—here is the ‘King’s Head’ near, shall we go there and have something comfortable?” “No, no, no; I told you I would go nowhere to eat or drink with you, my lord!” “Is your digestive apparatus so much out of order as all that? Well, then, if you don’t go to eat and drink, we will go to talk. I tell you I have news for you—‘you will hear of something to your advantage,’ as the mysterious newspaper paragraphs say.” “Well, well, I will go with you, my lord; and perhaps I will tell you ‘something to _your_ advantage,’” he muttered, in a low tone. So they went to the King’s Head, and Alick called for a private parlor, where they sat down to talk. “Everage,” said Alick, gravely, “I have had a long and dangerous fit of illness, from which I have scarcely yet recovered.” “Indeed, my lord! I had not heard of it: but, really now I observe that you do not look well. I am sorry, my lord.” “Everage, you heard of the affair in which I was engaged? the——” The word stuck in his throat; he would not utter it. Everage looked puzzled for a moment. “You know—the affair in which I was engaged in Jersey! the——” “Oh, yes, certainly, my lord; I heard of the——”