PTER XLVI

Lady Mary's Dream

When the Duke and his daughter reached Custins they found a large
party assembled, and were somewhat surprised at the crowd. Lord and
Lady Nidderdale were there, which might have been expected as they
were part of the family. With Lord Popplecourt had come his recent
friend Adolphus Longstaff. That too might have been natural. Mr.
and Miss Boncassen were there also, who at this moment were quite
strangers to the Duke; and Mr. Lupton. The Duke also found Lady
Chiltern, whose father-in-law had more than once sat in the same
Cabinet with himself, and Mr. Monk, who was generally spoken of as
the head of the coming Liberal Government, and the Ladies Adelaide
and Flora FitzHoward, the still unmarried but not very juvenile
daughters of the Duke of St. Bungay. These with a few others made a
large party, and rather confused the Duke, who had hardly reflected
that discreet and profitable love-making was more likely to go on
among numbers, than if the two young people were thrown together with
no other companions.

Lord Popplecourt had been made to understand what was expected
of him, and after some hesitation had submitted himself to the
conspiracy. There would not be less at any rate than two hundred
thousand pounds;--and the connexion would be made with one of the
highest families in Great Britain. Though Lady Cantrip had said very
few words, those words had been expressive; and the young bachelor
peer had given in his adhesion. Some vague half-defined tale had
been told him,--not about Tregear, as Tregear's name had not been
mentioned,--but respecting some dream of a young man who had flitted
across the girl's path during her mother's lifetime. "All girls have
such dreams," Lady Cantrip had suggested. Whereupon Lord Popplecourt
said that he supposed it was so. "But a softer, purer, more unsullied
flower never waited on its stalk till the proper fingers should come
to pluck it," said Lady Cantrip, rising to unaccustomed poetry on
behalf of her friend the Duke. Lord Popplecourt accepted the poetry
and was ready to do his best to pluck the flower.

Soon after the Duke's arrival Lord Popplecourt found himself
in one of the drawing-rooms with Lady Cantrip and his proposed
father-in-law. A hint had been given him that he might as well be
home early from shooting, so as to be in the way. As the hour in
which he was to make himself specially agreeable, both to the father
and to the daughter, had d