ad hitherto hoped to do. "Ludovic, have you
been here long?" she said, smiling as she always did smile when her
eyes fell upon her son's face.

"This instant arrived; and I hurried on after you, as Miss Dunstable
told me that you were here. What a crowd she has! Did you see Lord
Brock?"

"I did not observe him."

"Or Lord De Terrier? I saw them both in the centre room."

"Lord De Terrier did me the honour of shaking hands with me as I
passed through."

"I never saw such a mixture of people. There is Mrs. Proudie going
out of her mind because you are all going to dance."

"The Miss Proudies dance," said Griselda Grantly.

"But not at conversaziones. You don't see the difference. And I saw
Spermoil there, looking as pleased as Punch. He had quite a circle of
his own round him, and was chattering away as though he were quite
accustomed to the wickedness of the world."

"There certainly are people here whom one would not have wished to
meet, had one thought of it," said Lady Lufton, mindful of her late
engagement.

"But it must be all right, for I walked up the stairs with the
archdeacon. That is an absolute proof, is it not, Miss Grantly?"

"I have no fears. When I am with your mother I know I must be safe."

"I am not so sure of that," said Lord Lufton, laughing. "Mother, you
hardly know the worst of it yet. Who is here, do you think?"

"I know whom you mean; I have seen him," said Lady Lufton, very
quietly.

"We came across him just at the top of the stairs," said Griselda,
with more animation in her face than ever Lord Lufton had seen there
before.

"What; the duke?"

"Yes, the duke," said Lady Lufton. "I certainly should not have come
had I expected to be brought in contact with that man. But it was an
accident, and on such an occasion as this it could not be helped."
Lord Lufton at once perceived, by the tone of his mother's voice and
by the shades of her countenance that she had absolutely endured some
personal encounter with the duke, and also that she was by no means
so indignant at the occurrence as might have been expected. There she
was, still in Miss Dunstable's house, and expressing no anger as to
Miss Dunstable's conduct. Lord Lufton could hardly have been more
surprised had he seen the duke handing his mother down to supper; he
said, however, nothing further on the subject.

"Are you going to dance, Ludovic?" said Lady Lufton.

"Well, I am not sure that I do not agree with Mrs. Proudie