'Oh, the wretch is married!' whispered Annabelle.
'And her name is Fanny,' added Mary.
'And so the lawyers have got your case in their hands, my poor Fanny?' said he.
'Yes—and when may I get it out of them again?'
'The devil alone knows—he is the great master in all matters legal.'
(Now what could this case be, thought the listeners; here was a fresh mystery—perhaps degradation.)
'To serve you, I sold my troop in the Lancers, and with the money——'
'I know, Leslie—I know all, dearest. I have suffered much since then.'
'Despite all that, how handsome you are still!' said he, tenderly and admiringly.
'I was handsome a few years ago, as you know well,' she replied with a sad, but coquettish smile; 'but why seek to flatter me now, dearest Leslie, you of all men?'