Mr. Scarborough's Family

Junior United Service Club into Charles Street, suddenly met Captain Scarborough at two o'clock in the morning. Where Harry had be

no one else there present to give any account of what took place during the five minutes in which the two men remained together. Harry, who was at the moment surprised by the encounter, would have passed the captain by without notice, had he been

for explanation of circumstances which could not be explained, and statin

ptain stuck to his prey, shaking him again and again in his drunken wrath, till Harry, roused to a passion almost equal to that of his opponent, flung him at last against the corner of the club railings, and there left his foe sprawling upon the groun

o blame in his provocation of the quarrel. Had he kept his temper and feelings completely under control, and knocked down Captain Scarborough only in self-defence; had he not allowed himself to be roused to wrath by treatment which could not but give rise to wrath in a young man's bosom, no doubt, when his foe lay at his feet, he would have stooped to pick him up, and have tended his wounds. But such was not Harry's character,-nor that of any of the young men with whom I have been acquainted. Such, however, was the conduct apparently expected from

Captain Scarborough. Twice he walked along Charles Street, and looked at the spot on which he had stood on the night before in what might have been deadly conflict. Then he told himself that he had not been in the least wounded, that the ferocious maddened man had a

ich it was thought possible on the next morning that he might have betaken himself. Before the evening of that day had come he had no doubt been missed, but in the world at large no special mention was made of his absence for some t

editors. Captain Scarborough was a man quite remarkable enough to insure universal attention for such a tale as this; but now, added to his illegitimacy was his disappearance. There was at first no idea that he had been murdere

he was declared a defaulter, and in due process of time his name was struck of

consequence of that or any other circumstance defraud all his creditors. A man might conspire with his father with the object of doing this fraudulently, as Captain Scarborough was no doubt thought to have done by most of his acquaintances. All this he migh

much troubled on the matter. By degrees facts had made themselves clear to his mind, and he had become aware that the captain had been born before his client's marriage. He was ineffably shocked at the old squire's villany in the matter, but declared to all to whom he spoke openly on the subject that he did not see how the sinner could be punished. He never thought that the fat

tus Scarborough went down for a second time to Tretton

this he found that no great difficulty stood in his way. The creditors would contest his rights when his father should die; but for such contest he would be prepared. He had no doubt as to his own position, but thought that it would be saf

, at any rate, be offered. But such an arrangement would certainly be easier i

e present state of affairs the retirement suited him. But the nature of the operation which he had undergone was known to many who would not have him harassed in his pr

that no one can touch him for it?" This was an exclamation made

d has since repented. You cannot arrest a man because he had contemplated the picki

has been heard about him as ye

t were picked out of the Tha

or cripple who was mur

was found down among

mself or been killed. In the former case his dead body would be found or his live

vil is he?" said t

e tempted to hide himself. He is disgraced on every side, and could hardly show his f

he father. "There must

t he has drawn from me every shilling t

ou give 'e

omewhat under my hand. At any rate I did do so, and am unable for the present to do more. Looking round about,

I don't like the idea of his being starved. H

he son. "For lambs such as he there always seems

ave to trust to such pas

whole property,-of which not a shilling belongs to him; and he has not lost it because it was not his own, but has simply gambled it away among the Jews. What can happen to a man in such a condition better than to tu

-certainly

I shall have to make him an allowance some of these days

was willing to pay it by quiescence. Let them both forbear. Such was the language which he held to himself in thinking of his younger son. Augustus was certainly behaving well to him. Not a word of r

aid Augustus, "and I must ask you to

eat a propensity for getting rid of money I

had the la

w his whereabouts, I cannot leave him penniless. I

tly see it,"

d to put yourself in another ma

ght that

said the squire, roused to temporary anger. Augustus only shr

ll have to get three or four thousand pounds from you, or I too must resort to t

hat the father found to be endurable. Then the son took his leave, and went back to London, with

and in such short discussions with Florence as were necessary on the subject she preferred to express no opinion whatever as to his conduct. But she would by no means give way when urged to acknowledge that no marriage between Florence and the captain was any longer to be regarded as possible. While the captain was away the matter should be left as if in abeyance; but this by no means suited the young lady's views. Mrs. Mountjoy was not a reticent woman, and had no doubt been too free in whispering among her friends something of her daughter's position. This Florence had resent

ver be anything to me, mamma." Then Mrs. Mountj

and that no account should be given as to the finding of the body. At last he persuaded himself that he could not have killed the man, but he was assured at the same time that the disappearance must in some sort have been occasioned by what then took place. And it could not but be that the captain, if alive, should be aware of the nature of the struggle which had taken place. He heard, chiefly from the newspapers, the full record of the captain's illegitimacy; he heard of his condition with the creditors; he heard of those gambling debts which were left unpaid at the club. He saw it also stated-and repeated- that these were the grounds for the man's disappearance. It was quite credible that the man should disappear, or endeavor to disappear, under such a cloud of difficulties. It did not require that he and his violence should be adduced as an extra

per took the keenest interest in the illegitimacy and the impecuniosity and final disappearance of the captain, and no doubt did, in his cross-examinations, discover the fact that Harry was unwilling to answer his questions. He found out for the first time that Harry was acquainted with the captain, and also contrived to extract from him the name of Miss Mountjoy. But he could learn nothing else, beyond Harry's absolute unwillingness to talk upon the

ley, "I really think that you ar

intain something like an affectionate inter

see into a millstone as fa

emselves are looking about to catch up anything in their way, they would catch him up at a

tell me?" sa

nothing

one. I tell you that Harry knows more about this Captain Sca

ly just k

no discreditable manner. I hope so, that's all." Harry in the mean time had returned to London, in order to escape his uncle,

at the commencement of the pe