Wyre, on a beautiful evening, in the company of a 
very pretty young lady. 



OF A PHAETON. 273 

We had abolished b&ique by this time. It had 
become too much of a farce. Flaying four-handed 
b^zique with partners is a clumsy contrivance; and 
when we had endeavoured to play it independently, 
the audacity of the Lieutenant in sacrificing the game 
to Bell's interests had got beyond a joke. So we had 
Ikllen back on whist ; and as we made those two 
ardent young noodles partners, they did their best. It 
wasn't very good, to tell the truth. The Lieutenant 
was as bad a whist-player as ever perplexed a partner ; 
but Bell could play a weak suit as well as another. 
My Lady was rather pleased to find that the lieu- 
tenant was not a skilful card-player. She was 
deeply interested in the qualities of the young man 
whom she regarded in a premature fashion as Bell's 
future husband. In fact, if she had only known how, 
she would have examined the young fellows who came 
about the house  ^Bell has had a pretty fair show 
of suitors in her time  as to the condition of the 
inner side of the thumb. It is a bad sign when that 
portion of the hand gets rather homy.