agree with you. You have been used to a
country life, have you not?"

"I have lived nearly always in the
country. But I am very well in London
now."

"You are living in the house of a very
old friend of mine, Mrs. Lockwood."

The change in Maud's face from apathy
to interest, when he uttered the name, was
not lost upon Mr. Frost.

"You are an old friend of Mrs.
Lockwood's?" repeated Maud, smiling.

"A very old friend. I knew her husband
before he was married. I have known
Hugh ever since he was born. He is a
right good fellow."

"Oh yes."

"But his mother is a little disturbed
about him at present. He has taken an
obstinate fit into his head, and wants to set
up as an architect on his own account,
instead of remaining longer in Digby and
West's offices. Perhaps you have heard?"

"Yes; I heard something of it from
Mrs. Lockwood; and from my friends
Captain and Mrs. Sheardown."

"Ah, exactly."

"Captain Sheardown seemed to think
that Mr. Lockwood was justified in his
plan."

"I have no doubt that Captain Sheardown
is an excellent gentleman."

"He is very good and very sensible."

"No doubt. Still on this point his
opinion is scarcely the most valuable that
could be had. I am going to Italy myself
in a very short time——. You are looking
pale. Is the heat of the room too much
for you?"

"No, thank you. Yes—I am rather
oppressed by it. You were saying——"

"That I am going to Italy on business
which, if carried out successfully, would
enable me to throw an excellent thing in
Hugh Lockwood's way. It might keep
him abroad for a year or two, but that would
be no disadvantage—on the contrary. If
we can only persuade Hugh not to be in
a hurry to assume responsibilities on his
own account."

"The carriage must be here by this time,
Sidney," said Mrs. Frost rising and touching
her husband's shoulder. "Do inquire!"

"Not going yet, surely!" exclaimed
Mrs. Lovegrove with stern distinctness.
"Not going before partaking of our humble
refreshments?"

"O thank you very much," returned
Mrs. Frost, "but I really couldn't eat
anything. We rushed away from dinner in
order to get here before it was all over.
Your hours are so virtuously early!"

It was perhaps strange that Mrs. Lovegrove
should feel offended at being told
that she kept virtuously early hours. But
the fact was that she did so feel.

"I saw," said the hostess, "that you had
scraped acquaintance with my friend Lady
Tallis Gale. I would have presented you
to her, but the fact is, she does not
particularly care for making acquaintance
out of her own set."

"Oh, that talkative elderly lady in the
turned gown? Yes; Sidney presented me
to her. What an odd person!"

"In her peculiar and painful position,"
pursued Mrs. Lovegrove, loftily, "Mr.
Lovegrove does not feel justified in intruding
strangers on her acquaintance."

"What's the matter with her? Is she
not quite right in her head?" asked Mrs.
Frost, slightly touching her own forehead
as she spoke.

This was too much for Mrs. Lovegrove.
She had felt that she was getting the worst
of it throughout; for she was piqued, and
Mrs. Frost was genuinely cool and
unconcerned.

"I don't understand you, Mrs. Frost,"
said Mrs, Lovegrove, "nor can I conjecture
why you should wish to—to—insult my
friends."

"O dear me, I assure you I hadn't the
least idea of insulting the poor woman,"
rejoined Mrs. Frost, imperturbably. "It
would be her misfortune, not her fault,
you know, after all! But you said
something, yourself, about her peculiar and
painful position."

Mrs. Lovegrove faced round solemnly.
"I did so, Mrs. Frost," she said. "And
poor dear Lady Tallis's position is indeed a
sad one. Her husband—a man of enormous
wealth, but of so profligate a
character that I shudder to breathe his
name in the same atmosphere where my
daughters are—her husband," continued
Mrs. Lovegrove, reaching a climax of
impressiveness, and lowering her voice almost
to a whisper, "has gone off and deserted
her!"

"Really? Very shocking! But," added
Mrs. Frost, "do you know, I think not, on
the whole, very surprising!"

That night, in the seclusion of their
chamber, Mrs. Lovegrove informed her
husband that, come what might, she would
never, on any consideration, invite "that
woman"—so she designated Mrs. Frost—
inside her doors again.