for a moment to communicate with Mr. Fivebars, all parties proceeded in silence to the place of Grainger's selecting; the carriage of Lord Fletcher continued to take the lead, and that of Lord Clanelly followed at a short interval behind it.

Lord Fletcher was pale, and spoke but little ; but further than this he gave no sign of apprehension or nervousness: however weak his character might be, when he had to decide a point for himself, no sooner was a decision made, than he showed himself as capable of going through the thing with spirit as another man. As to Lord Clanelly, to him it was a matter of indifference whether he fought a duel or not, and he himself, Fivebars, and their medical attendant, kept on laughing and joking between the puffs of their cigars, the whole way down the road.

The morning was rather chilly, notwithstanding the time of year, and they were enveloped in their great coats and mackintoshes. It was a gray streaky sky, and one of those sort of days which depress unusually the spirits of nervous men. This, perhaps, was felt by Lord Fletcher more than by any other of the party, but he descended from the carriage with a firm step, and walked some distance

along a side road arm in arm with George Grainger, till they came to a vineyard, part of which had been lately ploughed up, leaving an open space of sufficient length and breadth for their purpose. Fletcher was now left to walk a few minutes by himself, while the two seconds advanced together, each with a separate case of pistols under his arm. Having tossed up for the choice, and the lot having fallen on Lord Clanelly's arms, it was agreed that twelve paces should be the distance—that Grainger should give the word in the first instance, and Fivebars, if a second shot should be found necessary.

They now proceeded to load the weapons, and it was discovered that Fivebars had omitted to bring with him any greased bits of linen to wrap round the bullets, a thing which gives much surer direction to the shot, by causing it to fit tighter in the barrel. The consequence of this was, that the bullets were, if not absolutely loose, certainly not so well fitted as they ought to be; but Grainger, who had considerable influence over Fivebars, who was also anxious to save, if possible, the life of his principal, and who knew Lord Clanelly's expertness in firing, and had remarked the paleness and silence of Fletcher, persuaded him to let the first

shot be fired in this way, well knowing that the consequence would be that the balls would sink, instead of going in a direct line.

The parties were now placed opposite each other. Lord Clanelly placed himself sideways to his opponent, so as to present the narrowest possible superficies of his body. His coat was close buttoned, and he kept his left arm close round his breast, pressing his left hand upon his right side close under the shoulder joint. Lord Fletcher, on the other hand, seemed reckless of such minor, and yet important points. His coat flapped open, thus helping to guide the eye of his adversary, by enlarging the object he aimed at; and he did not take the precaution of placing his hand and arm, as some sort of defence against the bullet, over the most vital parts. There was a moment's pause -" One-two-three-fire!" exclaimed Grainger, and both parties, having discharged their pistols, were perceived standing unharmed amidst the smoke -but the ball of Lord Clanelly had ploughed up the ground close by the feet of Fletcher. "We'll give them one more chance, and then they must be satisfied," said Grainger to Fivebars, as they drew aside to load the pistols a second time.

This time, however, the pistols were properly loaded, recourse having been had to Grainger's wellfurnished case. He trembled for Fletcher, as he saw the coolness with which Clanelly took his aim. He had already seen that it was no fault of the marksman that he had missed last shot-" Onetwo-three-fire!" said Fivebars, and Lord Fletcher lay dead, with a bullet in his heart.

"Allons!" said Clanelly to Fivebars, "I'm damned hungry:-let's go to breakfast!"

CHAPTER X.

THUS fell in the flower of his age, by the hand of an unprincipled but successful ruffian, the amiable but too weak-minded Lord Fletcher. It was re

markable, that on the second fire he had not discharged his pistol; and, in consequence of this, a report was put in circulation by some of the enemies of Lord Clanelly, that he had fired before his time, and not a little prejudice was added to the already strong existing feeling against him on this account. He had also the bad taste to speak of his late antagonist, after his death, in terms so disparagingly, as well as so coarse, as to shock every feeling of decency, and good care was taken that these expressions should be repeated to the Bazancourt family. He was, however, one of those persons who had little to lose in the estimation of the public, neither himself nor his ill-fated opponent having