prospect of this little coup quite soothed Mrs.
Leader's temper; and her husband and his
daughter were quite gratified to see the
change that had taken place in her, and
the resumption of her usual placid and
sweet manner.

In Mr. Leader's rather weak soul this
produced a reaction. He began to think
he had yielded rather hastily to impulse:
he was a little ashamed of having been
persuaded so easily by his daughter. He
felt, however, that he must do something
to stop that terrible Doctor coming to
Leadersfort, so he wrote off hastily to
Folkestone a very soothing letter. Men
of Mr. Leader's character find a letter a
very convenient sort of mantlet or shield,
which protects them while they fire some
missile which they want courage to
discharge, when face to face with the enemy.
He wrote:

DEAR DOCTOR FINDLATER,—I regret to
say that during my absence Mrs. Leader
has made arrangements to fill our house
with company. This will prevent us
receiving my son and his wife at present,
at which I am much disappointed. I
shall write to Cecil at greater length
tomorrow.

This sent off, he felt much relieved in his
mind. The meeting of such hostile powers
as the Doctor and Mrs. Leader would be
something dreadful, and the very idea of
the terrible Doctor driving up with the
invalid in charge, being refused admittance
through lack of room, and then asking to
see the master of the house, in order to
demand an explanation, made him almost
shudder.

Mrs. Leader, also, without taking counsel
with any one, had her despatch to send
away. It was a letter to Mrs. Raper, the
housekeeper.

MRS. RAPER,—You need not trouble
yourself to prepare apartments for Mr.
Leader's son and his wife, as you were,
perhaps, directed to do by Doctor
Findlater. In future you will not pay attention
to any orders except to such as come from
me. We shall be down ourselves in a few
days, and will possibly receive a large
party, so you will have everything ready.

On the next morning everything was
ready, and the family drove to the railway.
Lady Seaman was coming a day or two
later, and had signified that she wished
some nice people to be asked to meet her—
in short, that the arrière ban of gentility
should be raised, the establishment be put
on a fashionable war footing, and the whole
Landwehr, Landstürm, &c., of footmen,
cooks, country-house walking gentlemen
and ladies, called out. This was to be
done within an incredibly short space of
time; but some of those costly and genteel
impressarios, whom Mrs. Leader always
applied to in her difficulties, entreated her
to give herself no trouble or anxiety,
but "to leave it all to them," and they
would send their people down. Out had
gone the flattering invitations; divers
genteel young men, whom she did not
know, were appealed to, almost ad
misericordiam, through third parties. Indeed,
did it comport with the rules of polite
society, the lady of the house would have
gladly sent them what lawyers call their
viaticum—  that is, their expenses— with
a cheque to supply new dresses, &c.,
and even cover the cost of all inconvenience.

With these arrangements on foot, the
Leader family set out from London. Mrs.
Leader was in a placid, tranquil humour
all the way, smiling sweetly on the guards
and various officials that they encountered
—a temper that gave Mr. Leader great
comfort. There was the usual lavishness
of expense, which made even a short
railway trip cost for them four times
what it did for other families: heavy
fees to secure no particular advantages—
some sort of special carriage, which somehow
proved the same as another. This
was always the result in the case of the
Leader family. Arrived at Tilston in the
evening, they were met by the family
carriages—the great omnibus and barouche—
and drove away to Leadersfort. Then they
rode up the avenue, gliding and winding
among its noble trees, nobler than that
quiet, fluttering little man and his pushing,
extravagant lady. The hall-door was
not flung open by obedient menials, for the
discipline at Leadersfort was but of an
imperfect sort. They had to wait some time,
and the bell had to be pulled twice.
Suddenly the door was thrown open, not by
the salaried John or Mary of the place. A
smiling face was put forward, with a hearty
voice greeting:

"My dear Mr. and Mrs. Leader,
welcome to your own house! Heard the bell,
and just slipped down from Cecil's bedside.
He's doing nobly."

It was Doctor Findlater.