and thought it only fair to sacrifice a little time in case of need, in
return for the great favour which had been granted him by Mr. Galloway.
Many of the families who had sons in the college school dined at one
o'clock, as it was the most convenient hour for the boys. Growing
youths are not satisfied with anything less substantial than a dinner
in the middle of the day, and two dinners in a household tell heavily
upon the house-keeping. The Channings did not afford two, neither did
Lady Augusta Yorke; so their hour was one o'clock.

"What a muff you must be to go without your dinner!" cried Roland Yorke
to Arthur, when he returned at two o'clock. "I wouldn't."

"I have had my dinner," said Arthur.

"What did you have?" cried Roland, pricking up his ears. "Did Galloway
send to the hotel for roast ducks and green peas? That's what we had at
home, and the peas were half-boiled, and the ducks were scorched, and
cooked without stuffing. A wretched set of incapables our house turns
out! and my lady does not know how to alter it. You have actually
finished that deed, Channing?"

"It is finished, you see. It is surprising how much one can do in a
quiet hour!"

"Is Galloway out?"

Arthur pointed with his pen to the door of Mr. Galloway's private room,
to indicate that he was in it. "He is writing letters."

"I say, Channing, there's positively nothing left to do," went on