, but so low that
only Jean heard them.

The girl looked up. 'Me?'

'You had the satisfaction of knowing you had made yourself immensely
popular with all other men.'

The girl flushed. 'I hope you don't think I did it for that reason.'

The little passage was unnoticed by the rest of the company, who were
listening to Lord Borrodaile's contented pronouncement: 'I'm afraid the
new-fangled seed falls on barren ground in our old-fashioned
gardens--_pace_ my charming sister-in-law.'

Greatorex turned sharply. 'Mrs. Tunbridge! God bless my soul, you don't
mean----'

'There is one thing I will say for her'--Mrs. Freddy's brother-in-law
lazily defended the honour of the house--'she doesn't, as a rule,
obtrude her opinions. There are people who have known her for years, and
haven't a notion she's a light among the misguided.'

But Greatorex was not to be reassured. 'Mrs. Tunbridge! Lord, the perils
that beset the feet of man!' He got up with a half-comic ill humour.

'You're not going!' The hostess flitted over to remonstrate. 'I haven't
had a word with you.'

'Yes, yes; I'm going.'

Mrs. Freddy looked bewildered at the general laugh.

'He's heard aspersions cast upon your character,' said Lord Borrodaile.
'His moral sense is shocked.'

'Honestly, Mrs. Tunbridge'--Farnborough was for giving her a chance to
clear herself--'what do you think of your friends' recent exploits?'

'My friends?'

'Yes; the disorderly women.'

'They are not my friends,' said Mrs. Freddy, with dignity, 'but I don't
think you must call them----'

'Why not?' said Lord Borrodaile. '_I_ can forgive them for worrying the
Liberals'--he threw a laughing glance at Greatorex--'but they _are_
disorderly.'

'Isn't the phrase consecrated to a different class?' said Miss Levering,
quietly.

'You're perfectly right.' Greatorex, for once, was at one with Lord
Borrodaile. 'They've become nothing less than a public nuisance. Going
about with dog-whips and spitting in policemen's faces.'

'I wonder,' said Mrs. Freddy, with a harassed air--'I wonder if they did
spit!'

'Of course they did!' Greatorex exulted.

'You're no authority on what they do,' said Mrs. Freddy. 'You run away.'

'Run away?' He turned the laugh by precipitately backing away from her
in a couple of agitated steps. 'Yes, and if ever I muster up courage to
come back, it will be to vote for better manners in public life, not
worse than we have already.'

'So should I,' obser