altogether, Jacob, I'm dreadfully worried."

"Don't be," said Jacob, dryly.

"And what a creature!" cried the Duchess, unheeding. "They say that poor
Moffatt child will soon have fretted herself ill, if the guardians don't
give way about the two years."

"What two years?"

"The two years that she must wait--till she is twenty-one. Oh, Jacob,
you know that!" exclaimed the Duchess, impatient with him. "I've told
you scores of times."

"I'm not in the least interested in Miss Moffatt's affairs."

"But you ought to be, for they concern Julie," cried the Duchess. "Can't
you imagine what kind of things people are saying? Lady Henry has spread
it about that it was all to see him she bribed the Bruton Street
servants to let her give the Wednesday party as usual--that she had been
flirting with him abominably for months, and using Lady Henry's name in
the most impertinent ways. And now, suddenly, everybody seems to know
_something_ about this Indian engagement. You may imagine it doesn't
look very well for our poor Julie. The other night at Chatton House I
was furious. I made Julie go. I wanted her to show herself, and keep up
her friends. Well, it was _horrid_! One or two old frights, who used to
be only too thankful to Julie for reminding Lady Henry to invite them,
put their noses in the air and behaved odiously. And even some of the
nicer ones seemed changed--I could see Julie felt it."

"Nothing of all that will do her any real harm," said Jacob, rather
contemptuously.

"Well, no. I know, of course, that her real friends will never forsake
her--never, never! But, Jacob"--the Duchess hesitated, her charming
little face furrowed with thought--"if only so much of it weren't true.
She herself--"

"Please, Evelyn," said Delafield, with decision, "don't tell me anything
she may have said to you."

The Duchess flushed.

"I shouldn't have betrayed any confidence," she said, proudly. "And I
must consult with some one who cares about her. Dr. Meredith lunched
with me to-day, and he said a few words to me afterwards. He's quite
anxious, too--and unhappy. Captain Warkworth's always there--always!
Even I have been hardly able to see her the last few days. Last Sunday
they took the little lame child and went into the country for the
whole day--"

"Well, what is there to object to in that?" cried Jacob.

"I didn't say there was anything to object to," said the Duchess,
looking at him with eyes half angry, half perplexed. "