Five to one it comes off to-night! Now! There goes your sister into the house; just go in after her." Jim sauntered off, and Sam came and laid his great length down by the side of Halbert.
They talked on indifferent matters for a few minutes, till the latter said,-- "You are a lucky fellow, Sam." "With regard to what ?" said Sam.
"With regard to Miss Buckley, I mean." "What makes you think so ?" "Are you blind, Sam?
Can't you see that she loves you better than any man in the world ?" He answered nothing, but turning his eyes upon Halbert, gazed at him a moment to see whether he was jesting or no.

No, he was in earnest.

So he looked down on the grass again, and, tearing little tufts up, said,-- "What earthly reason have you for thinking that ?" "What reason!--fifty thousand reasons.

Can you see nothing in her eyes when she speaks to you, which is not there at other times; hey, Bat ?--I can, if you can't." "If I could think so!" said Sam.

"If I could find out ?" "When I want to find out anything, I generally ask," said Halbert.
Sam gave him the full particulars of Cecil's defeat.
"All the better for you," said Halbert; "depend upon it.