’A bird, hardly ever seen in England.  I spied him in the fir-wood, went to Warren for a gun, brought him down, and walked on to the House Beautiful, where Miss Faithfull was enchanted.  She will copy him, and send him to the bird-stuffer.  I looked in to give directions, and old Jenyns was amazed; he never knew one shot here before, so early in the year too.  He says we must send the account to the Ornithological—­’

’Do you know how wet you are? exclaimed Mrs. Ponsonby, seeing rivulets dropping from his coat.

’I see.  It rained all the way home, and was so dark, I could not see the footpath; and when I came in, my eyes were blinded by the light, and my head so full of the pastor, that the other minister never occurred to me, and remains under the impression that I have confessed a sacrilegious murder.’

‘You really are incorrigible!’ cried Mrs. Ponsonby.  ’Why are you not dressing for dinner?’

‘Because you are going to give me a cup of your tea.’

’Certainly not.  I shall begin to think you purposely mortified your father, when you know he wanted you to be reasonable.’

‘The lower species never show off well to strangers,’ said Fitzjocelyn, coolly; but, as he lighted his candle, he added, with more candour, ’I beg your pardon—­indeed I did not do this on purpose, but don’t say anything about appearances—­there’s something in me that is sure to revolt.’

So noiselessly that the moment was unknown, the vacant chair was filled by a gentleman irreproachably attired, his face glowing with exercise, or with what made him very debonnaire and really silent, dining rapidly and unobtrusively, and never raising his eyes even to his aunt, probably intending thus to remain all the evening; but presently Sir Miles turned to him and said, ’Pray satisfy my curiosity.  Who is the rose-coloured pastor?’

Louis raised his eyes, and meeting a pleasing, sensible face, out beamed his arch look of suppressed fun as he answered, ’He is not at all clerical.  He is otherwise called the rose-coloured ouzel or starling.’

‘Whence is that other startling name?’

’From his attending flocks of sheep, on the same mission as jackdaws fulfil here—­which likewise have an ecclesiastical reputation—­

     ‘A great frequenter of the church.’’

Fearing alike nonsense and ornithology, Lord Ormersfield changed the subject, and Louis subsided, but when the gentlemen came into the drawing-room, Mrs. Ponsonby was surprised to see him taking a fair share, and no more, of the conversation.  Some information had been wanted about the terms of labour in the mining districts, and Louis’s visit to Illershall enabled him to throw light on the subject, with much clearness and accuracy.  Sir Miles had more literature than Lord Ormersfield, and was more used to young men; and he began to draw Fitzjocelyn out, with complete success.  Louis fully responded to the touch,