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"And pray," inquired Barnabas, "ht?"

"Three things, sir, namely, matrimony, a horse race, and a father

Three very serious ravest of all

For you must know I am, shall I say--blessed? yes, certainly,

blessed in a father who is essentially Ro a man of his word,

sir Now a man of his word,Speaking of fathers, generally, sir, you may

have noticed that they are the ate to the; my father especially so--for, as I believe I

hinted before, he is so infernally Roman"

"Indeed," smiled Barnabas, "the best of fathers are, after all, only

human"

"Aha!" cried his Lordship, "there speaks experience And yet, sir,

these human fathers, one and all, believe in what I ht of fathers to thwart, and bother, and annoy sons old

enough to be--ha--"

"To know their own minds," said Barnabas

"Precisely," nodded his Lordship "Consequently, my Roman father and

I fell out--my honored Ro, sir, unfortunately 't was before breakfast" Here his

Lordship snatched a hasty bite of bread and usto, while Barnabas sat, drea away across

the valley

"Pray," said he suddenly, yet with his gaze still far away,