the army, whom the Duchess had lately
enlisted among her followers as being useful in their way. They could
eat their dinners without being shy, dance on occasions, though very
unwillingly, talk a little, and run on messages;--and they knew the
peerage by heart, and could tell the details of every unfortunate
marriage for the last twenty years. Each thought himself, especially
since this last promotion, to be indispensably necessary to the
formation of London society, and was comfortable in a conviction that
he had thoroughly succeeded in life by acquiring the privilege of
sitting down to dinner three times a week with peers and peeresses.

The list of guests has by no means been made as complete here as it
was to be found in the county newspapers, and in the "Morning Post"
of the time; but enough of names has been given to show of what
nature was the party. "The Duchess has got rather a rough lot to
begin with," said the Major to the Captain.

"Oh, yes. I knew that. She wanted me to be useful, so of course I
came. I shall stay here this week, and then be back in September."
Up to this moment Captain Gunner had not received any invitation for
September, but then there was no reason why he should not do so.

"I've been getting up that archery code with her," said Pountney,
"and I was pledged to come down and set it going. That little Gresham
girl isn't a bad looking thing."

"Rather flabby," said Captain Gunner.

"Very nice colour. She'll have a lot of money, you know."

"There's a brother," said the Captain.

"Oh, yes; there's a brother, who will have the Greshamsbury property,
but she's to have her mother's money. There's a very odd story about
all that, you know." Then the Major told the story, and told every
particular of it wrongly. "A man might do worse than look there,"
said the Major. A man might have done worse, because Miss Gresham was
a very nice girl; but of course the Major was all wrong about the
money.

"Well;--now you've tried it, what do you think about it?" This
question was put by Sir Timothy to Sir Orlando as they sat in a
corner of the archery ground, under the shelter of a tent, looking
on while Major Pountney taught Mrs. Boffin how to fix an arrow to
her bowstring. It was quite understood that Sir Timothy was inimical
to the Coalition though he still belonged to it, and that he would
assist in breaking it up if only there were a fair chance of his
belonging to the party which would remain