nce to
the fact than if it were paragraphed in every newspaper in the kingdom.'

This was hitting the nail on the head with a vengeance. Here was a
picture, here a vision of happiness! Only to think of the duke dropping
in, as a body might say, to take his bit of dinner, or his dish of tea
in the evening, just in a quiet, homely, family way! She thought she saw
him sitting with his feet on the fender, talking about the king and the
queen, and the rest of the royal family, just as he would of herself and
Paul; and her eyes involuntarily turned towards the little bust, and two
round full tears of pure joy trickled slowly down her cheeks.

Yielding at length to these and similar arguments, Mrs. Rooney gave in
her adhesion, and a treaty was arranged and agreed upon between the high
contracting parties, which ran somewhat to this effect:--

In the first place, for the enjoyment of certain advantages to be
hereafter more fully set forth, the lady was bound to maintain in all
large companies, balls, dinners, drums, and dejeuners, a rigid silence
regarding the duke's visit to her house, never speaking of, nor alluding
to it, in any manner whatever, and, in fact, conducting herself in all
respects as if such a thing had never taken place.

Secondly, she was forbidden from making any direct inquiries in public
respecting the health of the duke or the duchess, or exercising any
overt act of personal interest in these exalted individuals.

Thirdly, so long as Mrs. Rooney strictly maintained the terms of the
covenant, nothing in the foregoing was to preclude her from certain
other privileges--namely, blushing deeply when the duke's name was
mentioned, throwing down her eyes, gently clasping her hands, and even
occasionally proceeding to a sigh; neither was she interdicted from
regarding any portion of her domicile as particularly sacred in
consequence of its viceregal associations. A certain arm-chair might be
selected for peculiar honours, and preserved inviolate, etc.

And lastly, nevertheless, notwithstanding that in all large assemblies
Mrs. Rooney was to conduct herself with the reserve and restrictions
aforesaid, yet in small _reunions de famille_--this O'Grady purposely
inserted in French, for, as Mrs. Paul could not confess her ignorance
of that language, the interpretation must rest with himself--she was to
enjoy a perfect liberty of detailing his grace's advent, entering into
all its details, discussing, explaining, e