at some point of the procession, and it may be believed they wished it,
if only that they might see something for their money. A beautiful
bright moonlight night it happened to be. Arm in arm among them were
Lord Pitscrew and Russett, Earl of Fleetwood, a great friend of Kirby's;
for it was a device of the Old Buccaneer's that helped the earl to win
the great Welsh heiress who made him, even before he took to hoarding and
buying,--one of the wealthiest noblemen in England; but she was crazed by
her marriage or the wild scenes leading to it; she never presented
herself in society. She would sit on the top of Estlemont towers--as
they formerly spelt it--all day and half the night in midwinter, often,
looking for the mountains down in her native West country, covered with
an old white flannel cloak, and on her head a tall hat of her Welsh
women-folk; and she died of it, leaving a son in her likeness, of whom
you will hear. Lord Fleetwood had lost none of his faith in Kirby, and
went on booking bets giving him huge odds, thousands!

He accepted fifty to one when the carriage came to a stop at the steps of
Lord Cressett's mansion; but he was anxious, and well he might be, seeing
Countess Fanny alight and pass up between two lines of gentlemen all
bowing low before her: not a sign of the Old Buccaneer anywhere to right
or left! Heads were on the look out, and vows offered up for his
appearance.

She was at the door and about to enter the house. Then it was; that with
a shout of the name of some dreadful heathen god, Colonel Jack Potts
roared out, 'She's half a foot short o' the mark!'

He was on the pavement, and it seems he measured her as she slipped by
him, and one thing and another caused him to smell a cheat; and General
Abrane, standing beside her near the door, cried: 'Where art flying now,