scapegrace brother of mine! Of course you are all welcome to anything I
have got; but he has no right to escape from his responsibilities on that
account. It is rude to us all. I know he can write if he likes."

"Why, Ralph, you would be glad of such a brother to steal your sermons
from, if you had been up all night as I was. Of course I did not mean to
claim any more credit than that of unearthing some of your shy verses.--
May I read them or not?"

"Oh! of course. But it is lucky I came prepared for some escapade of the
sort, and brought a manuscript of proper weight and length in my pocket."

Suddenly Harry's face changed from a laughing to a grave one. I saw how it
was. He had glanced at Adela, and her look of unmistakeable disappointment
was reflected in his face. But there was a glimmer of pleasure in his
eyes, notwithstanding; and I fancied I could see that the pleasure would
have been more marked, had he not feared that he had placed himself at a
disadvantage with her, namely, that she would suppose him incapable of
producing a story. However, it was only for a moment that this change of
feeling stopped him. With a gesture of some haste he re-opened the
manuscript, which he had rolled up as if to protect it from the
indignation of his brother, and read the following ballad:

_"The Two Gordons._

I

"There was John Gordon, and Archibold,
And an earl's twin sons were they.
When they were one and twenty years old,