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"This affair," said Tom, "shall be fully idvestigated ibbediately after breakfast; add if I fide that your statebedts are false, dot wud of you shall rebaid id the house. Go to bed."

They then retired to their respective rooms with manifest feelings of dissatisfaction: indeed, so dissatisfied were they, that neither Jib, cook, nor Susan, could go to sleep again. While at breakfast that morning, Tom related the whole affair to Sylvester, and the relation was productive of a most hearty laugh.

"I might as well have had a shot at the glass yesterday!" said Sylvester; "I couldn't have shattered it more."

"I dod't believe you could have hit it at all," returned Tom. "Try it dow. You cad't do ady bore dabage. Where are the pistols?"

"I took them up with me last night."

"Thed we'll have theb dowd at wudce," said Tom, ringing the bell; "you'll thed see the effect of pier-glass practice. Jib," he added, when Jib had appeared, "you'll see a case id the roob id which Mr. Soudd slept: bridg it dowd."

Jib, who was particularly active that morning, very soon produced the case; when Sylvester—who had the key in his pocket—unlocked it, and took out one of the pistols.

"Dow," said Tom, "aib at the bull's-eye: there's a capital wud established. Stadd here."

"The cap's off," said Sylvester, on cocking the pistol.

"Is it!" cried Tom; "I wudder how that got off. Here's adother."

Sylvester, having put on the cap, pointed steadily at the bull's-eye indicated, but, on pulling the trigger, the pistol flashed in the pan.

"Hollo!" cried Tom. "Well, these are pretty pistols to go out with, certaidly. Why, where did you get theb?"

"Scholefield got them. I don't know where."

"He who sedt theb out ought to be ashabed of hibself. However, try adother cap."

Another cap was tried, and the result was the same.

"Why," cried Tom, "what's the beadidg of this? There bust be sobethidg wrodg. Look here!" he added; "the thidg isd't loaded at all!"

"Not loaded!"

"Doe. I'b afraid there was foul play codtebplated here."

"Is the other loaded?"

"Let's see. Yes; that's all right edough. Were these the pistols you were to have fought with?"

"Yes."

"Thed that's the wud which you were to have had. Scholefield ought to have seed to it. Certaidly, he ought to have seed that all was right."

"I don't suppose he knows much about affairs of this kind."

"Probably dot; but doe bad should uddertake to do that of which he is igdoradt; especially id a batter id which life is idvolved."

"I believe that he scarcely knew what he was doing: he appeared to be very much excited throughout."