“I have no doubt of it,” muttered Barton, between his teeth. “We shall require two sureties of five hundred pounds each.” “Take the whole myself, by Jove!” broke in Bubbleton, with a flourish of his hand. “In for a penny,--eh, Tom?” “You can't do that, sir,” interposed Barton. The Secretary nodded an assent, and for a moment or two Bubbleton looked nonplussed. “You 'll of course have little difficulty as to a co-surety,” continued Barton, with a grin. “Burke of 'Ours' is sufficiently popular in the Forty-fifth to make it an easy matter.” “True,” cried Bubbleton, “quite true; but in a thing of this kind, every fellow will be so deuced anxious to come forward,--a kind of military feeling, you know.” “I understand it perfectly,” said Cooke, with a polite bow; “although a civilian, I think I can estimate the esprit de corps you speak of.” “Nothing like it! nothing like it, by Jove! I 'll just tell you a story, a little anecdote, in point. When we were in the Neelgharries, there was a tiger devilish fond of one of ours. Some way or other, Forbes--that was his name--” “The tiger's? “No, the captain's. Forbes had a devilish insinuating way with him,--women always liked him,--and this tiger used to come in after mess, and walk round where he was sitting, and Forbes used to give him his dinner, just as you might a dog--” The Castle clock struck three just at this moment. The Secretary started up. “My dear captain,” cried he, putting his hand on Bubbleton's arm, “I never was so sorry in my life; but I must hurry away to the Privy Council. I shall be here, however, at four; and if you will meet me at that time with the other security, we can arrange this little matter at once.” So saying, he seized his hat, bowed politely round the room, and left us. “Come along, Tom!” cried Bubbleton, taking me by the arm. “Devilish good fellow that! Knew I 'd tickle him with the tiger; nothing to what I could have told him, however, if he had waited.” “I beg your pardon, sir,” said Barton, interposing between us and the door; “Mr. Burke is in custody until the formality at least of a bail be gone through.” “So he is,” said Bubbleton; “I forgot all about it. So good-by, Tom, for half an hour; I 'll not be longer, depend on it.” With this he shook me warmly by the hand, bustled out of the room, and hurried downstairs, humming a tune as he went, apparently in capital spirits, while I knew from his manner that the bail he was in search of had about as much existence as the tiger in the Neelgharries. “You can wait in this room, sir,” said Barton, opening the door of a small apartment which had no other exit save through this office.