felt
for the new guest. She could only recognise one fact,--a fact that
considerably disturbed her feeling of well-being,--and that was, that
since Lord Henry's arrival, Mrs. Tribe had behaved like an ordinary,
cheerful, and independent human being.

With her, against Lord Henry, Miss Mallowcoid knew that she could always
count upon Sir Joseph, because his jealousy of the young nobleman made
him scarcely rational. So that if we reckon Denis Malster as well, in
the Mallowcoid camp, it is plain that there was no inconsiderable
nucleus of hostility against Lord Henry at this time at Brineweald Park.

Alone with her sister and Sir Joseph, Miss Mallowcoid had already seized
more than one opportunity of disparaging the nerve specialist of
Ashbury, and on the evening of the two proposals just described, when
the Incandescent Gerald had retired to bed, the three had an animated
discussion about Leonetta, Denis, and Lord Henry.

Mrs. Delarayne had given her reasons for being irreconcilably opposed to
Leonetta's match with Denis, and had declared that Lord Henry was in
entire agreement with her. She had laid the blame of Cleopatra's sudden
breakdown on Denis's shoulders, and had confessed to feeling a very
strong instinctive dislike for him. She even reminded Sir Joseph of his
promise to her earlier in the day, that he would dismiss Denis from his
service.

"Oh, I think that would be most cruelly unfair!" exclaimed Miss
Mallowcoid, when she heard the announcement.

"Why unfair?" snapped Mrs. Delarayne.

Miss Mallowcoid shook her head. "Well, Edith," she began, "of course you
know best what to do with your girls, but personally I think it very
honest and noble of Denis to have shown that he has changed his mind, if
he really has done so. Besides, if you think he is prepared to marry
Leonetta, why should you spoil her chances? Not that I think she
deserves him, of course, but that's neither here nor there."

"No, it certainly isn't," interjected Mrs. Delarayne.

"But, after all, what has it got to do with Lord Henry, I should like to
know?" pursued the spinster, trying to catch Sir Joseph's eye. "He is
here to cure Cleo, and not to meddle in all your affairs."

"He is here primarily as my friend," croaked the widow.

"I must say, my dear lady," said Sir Joseph, "I think there is something
in what your sister says. You are always complaining about having two
unmarried daughters on your hands. Denis is a good secretary to