manding officer of theth, but their separation would not be a very long one, as the regiment was likely to return home in a few months' time.

A cabin had been engaged as we have heard, containing four berths, to be occupied by the three children, their mother, and her devoted English maid, but "man proposes and God disposes."

A sudden outbreak of cholera took place, and among its first victims was little Edgar, and not many days after, he was followed to the grave by his eldest sister and the faithful maid. These three deaths had taken place some week or ten days before the conversation recorded, and now Sir Walter was at his wits' end how to send his delicate wife with her fragile remaining child in India (they had a boy

of ten years old at home) on such a long journey by herself, for go she must, and no attendant could he hear of; however, he relied much on Dr Stevens' promise, knowing well that his old friend would do his utmost for him.

The next afternoon but one, the doctor made his appearance with such a pleased expression of countenance, that Sir Walter saw at once he must have arrived at a solution of the difficulty.

"The very thing, Sir Walter," he exclaimed, rubbing his hands cheerfully; "the wife of Armstrong the tailor wants to go home at once (she should have gone long ago) with her two boys, and she will be glad to act as maid to Lady Tresillian, and so earn part of the passage money. She's far gone in consumption, poor

woman, and her only chance of life, a poor one I fear, is going home; will you come and speak to her yourself?" ended the doctor, and before long Sir Walter was in the tailor's house making arrangements with poor Mrs Armstrong, a most interesting young woman, whose brilliant colour and beautiful complexion told too plainly the tale of her insidious disease. It was settled that she should occupy the berth intended for the maid, and her two little boys the one which was to have been tenanted by Sir Walter's children; she would thus have the extra comfort of a first-class cabin, but not as Sir Walter wished at his expense, for her husband insisted on paying the amount of her second-class fare, and that of his children. Sir Walter, after much argument, consented

to this, but with a mental reservation that her remuneration for attending on his wife and child should cover the sum in debate.

He made acquaintance with the boys, shy little fellows of about eight and nine years old, and was much pleased with their manners; their mother was evidently a well-educated unassuming woman, and Sir Walter was still more impressed in her favour when he discovered that she like himself came from Cornwall, being the daughter of a large farmer in that county, to whose house she intended going on her arrival in England.

Lady Tresillian was to land at Plymouth, so everything seemed to fit in most marvellously for the convenience of "all parties."

The parting between Sir Walter and

his wife, though of course a sad trial, was scarcely so mournful as that of the Armstrongs, for in the minds of both of them was the thought that they would very likely never see each other again in this world, but neither husband nor wife put this into words; their last clinging embrace alone telling each what the other was thinking.

Lady Tresillian's chief grief was leaving the graves of her two children, but this was lessened by the belief that their angel spirits might be near her, and by the prospect of seeing her eldest boy, from whom she had now been parted for more than four years.

Dr Stevens accompanied the little party of travellers to Bombay, and saw them

safely on board the P. and O. steamer,