and hastened away to the great lady, whom she found
rising from breakfast with the marquis.

Lady Arpington read Gower's note. She unburdened herself: 'Oh! So it 's
no longer a bachelor's household!'

Henrietta heaved the biggest of sighs. 'I fear the poor dear may have
made matters worse.'

To which Lady Arpington said: 'Worse or better, my child!' and shrugged;
for the present situation strained to snapping.

She proposed to go forthwith, and give what support she could to the
Countess of Fleetwood.

They descended the steps of the house to the garden and the Green Park's
gravel walk up to Piccadilly. There they had view of Lord Fleetwood on
horseback leisurely turning out of the main way's tide. They saw him
alight at the mews. As they entered the square, he was met some doors
from the south corner by his good or evil genius, whose influence with
him came next after the marriage in the amazement it caused, and was
perhaps to be explained by it; for the wealthiest of young noblemen
bestowing his name on an unknown girl, would be the one to make an
absurd adventurer his intimate. Lord Fleetwood bent a listening head
while Mr. Gower Woodseer, apparently a good genius for the moment, spoke
at his ear.

How do we understand laughter at such a communication as he must be
hearing from the man? Signs of a sharp laugh indicated either his cruel
levity or that his presumptuous favourite trifled--and the man's talk
could be droll, Lady Arpington knew: it had, she recollected angrily,
diverted her, and softened her to tolerate the intruder into regions
from which her class and her periods excluded the lowly born, except at
the dinner-tables of stale politics and tattered scandal. Nevertheless,
Lord Fleetwood mounted the steps to his house door, still listening.
His 'Asmodeus,' on the tongue of the world, might be doing the part of
Mentor really. The house door stood open.

Fleetwood said something to Gower; he swung round, beheld the ladies
and advanced to them, saluting. 'My dear Lady Arpington! quite so, you
arrive opportunely. When the enemy occupies the citadel, it's proper to
surrender. Say, I beg, she can have the house, if she prefers it. I will
fall back on Esslemont. Arrangements for her convenience will be made. I
thank you, by anticipation.'

His bow included Henrietta loosely. Lady Arpington had exclaimed:
'Enemy, Fleetwood?' and Gower, in his ignorance of the smoothness of
aristocratic manners, expected a