glances, but
dropped their eyes, and masked their sight as they best could. Caesar
assassinated did a similar thing.

"My dears!" pursued Mrs. Chump, in Irish exaggerated by wine, "I've found
'm for ye! And if ye'd seen 'm this afternoon--the little peaky, shaky
fellow that he was! and a doctor, too, feelin' his pulse. 'Is ut slow,'
says I, 'doctor?' and draws a bottle of champagne. He could hardly stand
before his first glass. 'Pon my hon'r, my lady, ye naver saw s'ch a
change in a mortal bein.--Pole, didn't ye go 'ha, ha!' now, and seem to
be nut-cracking with your fingers? He did; and if ye aver saw an
astonished doctor! 'Why,' says I, 'doctor, ye think ut's maguc! Why,
where's the secret? drink with 'm, to be sure! And you go and do that, my
lord doctor, my dear Mr. Doctor! Do ut all round, and your patients 'll
bless your feet." Why, isn't cheerful society and champagne the vary best
of medicines, if onnly the blood 'll go of itself a little? The fault's
in his legs; he's all right at top!--if he'd smooth his hair a bit.

Checking her tongue, Mrs. Chump performed this service lightly for him,
in the midst of his muttered comments on her Irish.

The fact was manifest to the whole assembly, that they had indeed been
drinking champagne to some purpose.

Wilfrid stepped up to two of his sisters, warning them hurriedly not to
go to their father: Adela he arrested with a look, but she burst the
restraint to fulfil a child's duty. She ran up gracefully, and taking her
father's hand, murmured a caressing "Dear papa!"

"There--all right--quite right--quite well," Mr. Pole repeated. "Glad to
see you all: go away."

He tried to look kindly out of the nervous fit into which a word, in a
significant tone, from one of his daughters had instantly plunged him.
Mrs. Chump admonished her: "Will ye undo all that I've been doin' this
blessed day?"

"Glad you haven't missed the day altogether, sir," Wilfrid greeted his
father in an offhand way.

"Ah, my boy!" went the old man, returning him what was meant for a bluff
nod.

Lady Charlotte gave Wilfrid an open look. It meant: "If you can act like
that, and know as much as I know, you are worth more than I reckoned." He
talked evenly and simply, and appeared on the surface as composed as any
of the guests present. Nor was he visibly disturbed when Mrs. Chump,
catching his eye, addressed him aloud:--

"Ye'd have been more grateful to me to have brought little Belloni as
well n