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356 'Quite unexpectedly,' said Mr. Gazebee. 'I don't know what has brought him back before his time. I suppose he found London too hot.'

'Deuced hot,' said the baronet. 'I found it so, at least. I don't know what keeps men in London when it's so hot; except those follows who have business to do: they're paid for it.'

Mr. Mortimer Gazebee looked at him. He was managing an estate which owed Sir Louis an enormous sum of money, and, therefore, he could not afford to despise the baronet; but he thought to himself, what a very abject fellow the man would be if he were not a baronet, and had not a large fortune!

And then the squire came in. His broad, honest face was covered with a smile when he saw the doctor.

'Thorne,' he said, almost in a whisper, 'you're the best fellow breathing; I have hardly deserved this.' The doctor, as he took his old friend's hand, could not but be glad that he had followed Mary's counsel.

'So Frank has come home?'

'Oh, yes; quite unexpectedly. He was to have stayed a week longer in London. You would hardly know him if you met him. Sir Louis, I beg your pardon.' And the squire went up to his other guest, who had remained somewhat sullenly standing in one corner of the room. He was the man of highest rank present, or to be present, and he expected to be treated as such.

'I am happy to have the pleasure of making your acquaintance, Mr. Gresham,' said the baronet, intending to be very courteous. 'Though we have not met before, I very often see your name in my accounts—ha! ha! ha!' and Sir Louis laughed as though he had said something very good.

The meeting between Lady Arabella and the doctor was rather distressing to the former; but she managed to get over it. She shook hands with him graciously, and said that it was a fine day. The doctor said that it was fine, only perhaps a little rainy. And then they went into different parts of the room.

When Frank came in, the doctor hardly did know him. His hair was darker than it had been, and so was his complexion; but his chief disguise was in a long silken beard, which hung down over his cravat. The doctor had hitherto not been much in favour of long beards, but he could not deny that Frank looked very well with the appendage.

'Oh, doctor, I am so delighted to find you here,' said he, coming up to him; 'so very, very glad:' and, taking the doctor's arm, he led him away into a window, where they were alone. 'And how is Mary?' said he, almost in a whisper. 'Oh, I wish