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BY ORDER OF THE CZAR. 195

" Yes."

" You are wool-gathering a little,- eh ? "

"Am I?" said Sam.

" Yes, you are," replied Cordiner, ordering " a pint of the driest there is in the club ; speak to the steward, send him to me, that's the best thing, there's a brut of eighty or something of that kind, I think

While Cordiner was thus trying to defend himself as much as possible from the penalty of his favorite sin, Sam had said, " Good-morning, old fellow," and a few minutes later was bowling away to his chambers in Sack- ville-street. And very pleasant chambers they were! Four rooms three for himself, one for his man, Devereux, a calm, serious, quiet man of forty, looked sixty, and might have lived all his life with a bishop.

" Morning frock, white vest, grey trousers," said the master.

" Yes, sir," said Devereux.

" White silk tie, usual boots."

" Yes, sir," said Devereux.

" The brougham at four to the minute."

" Yes, sir," said Devereux.

"That's all."

"Thank you, sir," said Devereux.

They were, indeed, very pleasant chambers not your usual kind of bachelor chambers, decorated with pictures of ballet-girls, or studies from Etty, or racehorses, or illustrations of prize-fights, or pictures of yachts, but good, common-sense, respectable rooms : a dining-room, furnished in light oak, with a dado to match, a few paint- ings by the best modern masters, a cabinet for wines and spirits, a couple of old arm-chairs, an oak over-mantel, with a few nice specimens of Nankin blue, and on the polished floor a thick Turkey carpet. The adjoining room was arranged for smoking and cards ; not that