re he won't do that," said Lucy warmly. "I don't believe Mr.
Heron would condescend to be helped on in that sort of way."

"Why not?" Minola asked. "I think Lady Limpenny is a more creditable
ally than a person like Mr. St. Paul. If a man wants to succeed in life,
I suppose he must try all the usual arts."

"I didn't think you would have said that of Mr. Heron, Nola," said Lucy,
hurt and wondering.

Nola did not think she would have said it herself twelve hours ago. Why
she said it now she could not tell. Perhaps she was womanish enough to
feel annoyed at the manner in which Lucy seemed to appropriate Victor
Heron's cause, and womanish enough too to relieve her mind by saying
disparaging things of him.

Mr. Money's eyes twinkled with an amused smile.

"See how you wrong a man sometimes, you ladies--even the most reasonable
among you. Heron is more Quixotic than you think, Miss Grey. I have had
a letter from him this very morning about St. Paul. I'll read it if you
like--it need not be kept secret from anybody here."

Mrs. Money and Lucy earnestly asked to have the letter read, and Mr.
Money read it accordingly:

"MY DEAR MONEY: I don't like St. Paul, and I won't march through
Coventry with him. I think he is unprincipled and discreditable,
and if I can't get in for Keeton without his helping hand, I'll
stay out of Keeton, and that's all about _that_. I know you will
agree with me when you think this over. Excuse haste and
abruptness. I want to make my position clear to you without any
loss of time.

"Yours faithfully,

"VICTOR HERON."

"Now, Nola, you see you were wrong," the triumphant Lucy exclaimed.

"I do not like Mr. St. Paul," the quiet Theresa observed. "He seems to
me godless and demoralized. He spake in the lightest and most scoffing
way of the labors of the Church among the heathen populations."

"I liked him," Mrs. Money sighed. "I liked him because he had the spirit
to resign his rank and fling away his title."

"I think his rank rather resigned him," Mr. Money observed. "Anyhow, one
must in the ordinary world consent to take up with a scamp now and then.
Heron says he won't have anything to do with St. Paul, and Lucy
undertakes to say for him that he won't be patronized by Lady Limpenny.
I ask you all calmly, as civilized and Christian beings, how is a young
fellow to get on in London who won't consent to be helped by scamps and
old women."

"Mr. Heron r