WYLDER'S HAJVD.
395
the table played by him, and before, three minutes they
brought it home — and in fact it was quite clear that poor
dear Mark had helped himself to it in quite an irregular
-way."
"Oh, dear, Captain Lake, oh, dear, how shocking —
how inexpressibly shocking! Is not it melancholy?"
said Larkin, in his finest and most pathetic horror.
"Yes; but don't cry till I've done," said Lake, tran-
quilly. "Mark tried to bully, but the cool old heads
were too much for him, and he threw himself at last
entirely on our mercy — and very abject he became, poor
thing."
"How well the mountains look! I am afraid we shall
have rain to-morrow."
Larkin uttered a short groan.
"So they sent him into the small card-room, next that
we were playing in. I think we were about the last in
the club — it was past three o'clock — and so the old
boys deliberated on their sentence. To bring the matter
before the committee were utter ruin to Mark, and they
let him off, on these conditions — he was to retire forth-
with from the club; he was never to play any game of
cards again; and, lastly, he was never more to address
any one of the gentlemen who were present at his detec-
tion; and provided they were each and all strictly observed,
it was intimated that the occurrence should be kept se-
cret. Well, you know, that was letting poor old Mark
off in a coach; and I do assure you, though we had nev-
er liked one another, I really was very glad they did not
move his expulsion — which would have involved his quit-
ting the service — and I positively don't know how he
could have lived if that had occurred."
"I do solemnly assure you, Captain Lake, what you
have told me has beyond expression amazed, and I will