acquaintance with sham foreign count, who has a lovely daughter. Mr. Thomas was quite carried away; he proposed, he was accepted, and he wrote—wrote in a style which I am sure he must regret to-day. If these letters are produced in court, sir, Mr. Thomas's character is gone.'

'Am I to understand———' began Gideon.

'My dear sir,' said the Australian emphatically, 'it isn't possible to understand unless you saw them.'

'That is a painful circumstance,' said Gideon; he glanced pityingly in the direction of the culprit, and observing on his countenance every mark of confusion, pityingly withdrew his eyes.

'And that would be nothing,' continued Mr. Dickson sternly, 'but I wish—I wish from my heart, sir, I could say that Mr. Thomas's hands were clean. He has no excuse; for he was engaged at the time—and is still engaged—to the belle of Constantinople, Ga. My friend's conduct was unworthy of the brutes that perish.'

'Ga?' repeated Gideon enquiringly.

'A contraction in current use,' said Michael. 'Ga for Georgia, in the same way as Co for Company.'

'I was aware it was sometimes so written,' re-