Leader." When Lady Seaman had told
some anecdote about a lady who had married
into fashionable society, and who had been
the daughter of old Judge Badminton (this
relationship mentioned merely par
parenthèse), Mr. Leader caught the sounds with
delight.

"Oh, to be sure! Judge Badminton!
He used to come our circuit. Full of
stories. He was quite a humorist, old
Badminton; always joking. I remember when
we dined with him at Maidstone——"

Mrs. Leader detested these allusions to a
previous state of existence, and always
resolutely and adroitly turned the points, and
got the conversation on to another line.

"Yes, dear, those dreadful lawyers. We
know all that. Lady Seaman won't care
about your rusty circuit stories. Well, dear
Lady Fowler's daughters——"

Mr. Leader coloured, mortified at this
rebuff. Besides, he did want to talk about
old Judge Badminton. But an
enthusiastic voice beside him gave encouragement:

"Do tell me about that! Oh, I think to
be a lawyer and go circuit must be the
most enchanting, piquant thing in the
world! All the wit and the stories you
must hear, and that comic old judge——"

"It was the happiest time of my life,"
said Mr. Leader, with great interest; "and
you are quite right about the stories. I
never hear such stories now. We used to
sit up till twelve and one o'clock. As for
old Judge Badminton, I could tell you
things about him that would convulse you.
Did you ever hear of his adventure with
old Durfey, the senior on our circuit? But,
of course, ladies can't take much interest
in these things," he added, glancing
nervously at Mrs. Leader, who was fixing him
with her cold eye.

"Oh, tell me— do. These are the things
I like. I beg of you! What did Mr. Durfey
say?"

"Oh, it was uncommonly good," said
the ci-devant barrister, laughing at the
recollection. "Durfey had been sent a
brief in the water-works case," &c. And
so at length Mr. Leader related the whole
story, every now and again stopping to
apologise for the want of interest there
must be in such things for Miss Jessie, but
still looking back wistfully to his pet story.
He was so earnest, and simple, and eager in
recalling those old passages, that he
became what he had not been for a long, long
time since he had entered on his new life—
perfectly interesting. All his old brethren
of the wig seemed to flock about him, and
his daughter, with Katey and the more
artificial Jessie, listened with attention; as
for the latter, her delight, and enjoyment,
and rapture were indescribable. It seemed
that the whole aim of her life had been to
know enchanting details about the law and
its professors. Mary Leader looked gratefully
at this lady, who seemed to have the
art of making her father so happy. Katey
meanwhile sat solitary.

Mrs. Leader never spoke to her, and
Lady Seaman, who had her glass up to her
ancient eyes very often, to stare at her,
made no concealment of her dislike, and
conveyed almost plainly that she looked on
her as an obstacle to the great plans on
foot. Either intentionally or not, she made
her speeches and allusions turn on Katey,
and made her feel awkward and pained;
and told a story about poor dear Lady B.,
whose third son had broken her heart,
"marrying a creature not in his own
station, you know."

CHAPTER XV. KATEY ATTACKED.

BUT afterwards, when the gentlemen
came up-stairs, Mrs. Leader called over her
husband mysteriously to where Lady Seaman
was sitting, and said: "Sit down
there, dear, and listen to the good news
dear Lady Seaman has got for us. How
shall we ever thank her?"

"Oh, you must wait," said that lady;
"there are a good many things to happen
first. But the long and short of it is, my dear
Leader, something could be done for you
in a certain quarter. How would you like
to write yourself, 'Sir John Leader'?"

He smiled: "Oh, nonsense!" he said.
"We are not of importance enough."

"I don't know about that. But it rests
with you. The thing can be put in train,
and if my friend pushes it, 1 have reason
to know he could not be refused. But, of
course, there are many things between."

Mrs. Leader was in ecstasy— in rapture.
"Lady Leader!" "My lady!" That curious
face lighted up with delight as her friend
proceeded to enlarge on the details of the
scheme.

All this while the young candidate for
Mary Leader's favour had been
recommending himself to her by such arts as he
possessed. He was, indeed, a boy, and a
rather fair, foolish boy, over-set with his
new dignity, at which he had arrived
immaturely. He was arrogant, pettish, and
easily put out of temper, and almost
quarrelled with Mary Leader this first night