not even to ask!' the supposed victress was saying to herself, with
quivering lips, her eyes following not the Trinity freshman, who was
their latest captive, but an older man's well-knit figure, and a head on
which the fair hair was already growing scantily, receding a little from
the fine intellectual brows.

An hour later she was again standing by Lady Helen, waiting for a
partner, when she saw two persons crossing the room, which was just
beginning to fill again for dancing, towards them. One was Mr. Flaxman,
the other was a small wrinkled old man, who leant upon his arm,
displaying the ribbon of the Garter as he walked.

'Dear me,' said Lady Helen, a little fluttered, 'here is my uncle
Sedbergh. I thought they had left town.'

The pair approached, and the old Duke bowed over his niece's hand with
the manners of a past generation.

'I made Hugh give me an arm,' he said quaveringly. 'These floors are
homicidal. If I come down on them I shall bring an action.'

'I thought you had all left town?' said Lady Helen.

'Who can make plans with a Government in power pledged to every sort of
villainy and public plunder?' said the old man testily. 'I suppose
Varley's there to-night, helping to vote away my property and
Fauntleroy's.'

'Some of his own too, if you please!' said Lady Helen smiling. 'Yes, I
suppose he is waiting for the division, or he would be here.'

'I wonder why Providence blessed _me_ with such a Radical crew of
relations?' remarked the Duke. 'Hugh is a regular Communist. I never
heard such arguments in my life. And as for any idea of standing by his
order----' The old man shook his bald head and shrugged his small
shoulders with almost French vivacity. He had been handsome once, and
delicately featured, but now the left eye drooped, and the face had a
strong look of peevishness and ill-health.

'Uncle,' interposed Lady Helen, 'let me introduce you to my two great
friends, Miss Leyburn, Miss Rose Leyburn.'

The Duke bowed, looked at them through a pair of sharp eyes, seemed to
cogitate inwardly whether such a name had ever been known to him, and
turned to his nephew.

'Get me out of this, Hugh, and I shall be obliged to you. Young people
may risk it, but if _I_ broke I shouldn't mend.'

And still grumbling audibly about the floor, he hobbled off towards the
picture gallery. Mr. Flaxman had only time for a smiling backward glance
at Rose.

'Have you given my pretty boy a dance?'

'Yes,' she