mire. But he goes about his work as stoutly, and carries his head high as ever, as if he meant to defy us to do our worst to him or his son."

""Tis the parson as backs him up," observed Ford, "and makes him think himself a martyr."

"And the worst on't is," said Valance, biting his thick nether lip, "that Sir Digby is half inclined to take the fellow's part. He seems to have a notion in his head that to throw off Holdich would be to give up the sheep-dog to the wolves."

"Not a bad notion neither," said Ford, with a short harsh laugh.

"If we could but ruin Holdich with his master," muttered Valance.

"Can't we get up some story against him? Only throw enough mud at a fellow, and some of it's sure to stick."

"It won't stick on him," said Valance; "haven't I watched him ever since he came down here, sure to find some hole to pick in his coat? But one never can catch him napping. He's always at his work, and he's up to it, keeps his accounts as reg'lar as the dial, and is more particular about other men's money than a miser would be about his own."

'He's a fool for his pains," cried Ford.

"It mayn't turn out so in the long run," said Valance; "at least if what the parson says is true."

Ford uttered a very irreverent exclamation regarding the parson, then, returning to the point, asked

sharply, "But is there no way of setting Sir Digby against this Holdich? If," he added with sudden. animation, "if we could but get them to clash upon some matter of conscience."

Ay, ay, some matter of conscience," repeated Valance, struck by the cleverness of the suggestion, "Sir Digby, he's like a hurricane, if anything crosses his will he sweeps it off in a twinkling, and Holdich, he's stubborn as steel wherever his conscience is in question."

Ford remained silent for some moments, his sinister eye, with its inward cast, seeming to be turned from outer objects to search his mischief-working brain for some evil device. Ere he spoke again a quick hurried step was heard on the marble steps of the unfinished building above, and Mr. Slimes, looking heated and annoyed, came hastily down the mount.

Can't you come and lend a hand," he cried impatiently to Ford; "there's one of the beams found rotten as tinder, and all that part must be done over again!"

"And the grand folk invited for Wednesday," muttered Valance, shrugging his shoulders; "I knew it would never be ready in time."

"It must and shall be ready!" exclaimed the architect, who had overheard the observation.

The men must work day and night, and the tenants must be impressed for the service. I'm just going to tell Sir Digby that we must have more hands for the building."

"I suppose that you'll be at it all the Sunday?" asked Ford.

"Of course, every hour is of value," and Slimes glanced up uneasily at the frame-work of scaffolding which crowned the mount, and which must continue to do so until the Walhalla should be completed, and the huge bronze group hoisted aloft to the summit.

"I'll tell you what, sir," said Ford, "I and the men under me will be ready enough to set to, if Sir Digby makes it worth our while, you understand. We'll help with the scaffolding and such like work, and you'll get Holdich to gather the tenants. Such as work for the farmers, will yet have the Sunday to give; and I daresay the steward himself won't mind lending a hand to the work; he has the strength of half-a-dozen, if he only chooses to use it." And the gardener winked at Valance, who nodded meaningly to him in return.

I'll speak about it at once to Sir Digby!" cried Slimes, who was in a flutter of anxiety in regard to the success of what he considered the chef d'œuvre of his art. The architect had resolved that the Walhalla should immortalize his fame as well as fill his pocket, though in his eagerness to secure the latter object, he had risked the attainment of the first, by choosing materials cheap and showy, rather than solid and good. Extreme had been the annoyance of Slimes at finding the imperfection of some of the timber employed in the roofing, which must occasion

considerable delay, and render it extremely difficult to remove the scaffolding before the day appointed for opening the Walhalla. The exquisite decorations of the interior, the delicate ornaments, the fine stained glass, would be endangered by the rough work going on outside the building. Too impatient to produce immediate effect, and dazzle the eye by gorgeous combinations of form and colour, the architect had not proceeded with caution, nor delayed adding the ornamental till the essential was thoroughly completed. The vanity of Slimes would scarcely admit the possibility of failure; but the fear of in any point coming short of the expectations of his employer, almost drove him into a fever. If he worked with his own hands-if he sacrificed his sleep-the building must be finished by Wednesday; that glittering group in bronze must be lifted to its lofty place; that disfiguring cage work must be cleared away; the Walhalla must stand forth in its gem-like beauty, crowning its grassy hill, the centre of attraction, the theme of praise, the subject of the artist and the poet, enshrining not only the fame of all the Lestranges, but that of the architect. whose genius had contrived, and whose skill completed the building.

XXI.

A Sacrifice.

WILL go round to each of the tenants, sir, and muster all I can for the work, and help myself if required; we will be at the building before sunrise on Monday." "Before sunrise to-morrow," said Sir Digby Lestrange, with an emphasis on the last word. "I am ready to give double wages for each day's work, but I'll have no delay, no putting off; I would not for ten thousand pounds have the Walhalla unfinished on Wednesday."

"Do you mean, sir," said Robert Holdich, "that you require us to work at the building on Sunday?" "I do mean it," replied the baronet haughtily; "it is no great matter for once to give up the seventh day's rest."

"If it were only the rest," said Holdich.

Sir Digby was utterly unaccustomed to have his will crossed. He might be cheated by those who could sweeten poison with flattery, injured by those who could hide their weapons under roses, but to be thwarted by an inferior made all his pride rise up