did not return to London till this
afternoon and the formalities were not completed. I think it will be
announced to-night."

Her eyes shone and a spot of colour started to her cheeks.

"You are glad?" Howard said, with a smile of sympathy that had
something of mockery in it, for your worldly cynic is always amused by
worldliness in others.

"Yes, I am glad; but not for my own sake. You think I am pining for a
coronet? I do not care--it is for Stafford's sake that I am glad.
Nothing is too good for him, no title too high!"

"Do you think Stafford cares?" asked Howard.

She flushed and her eyes fell before his.

"No," she said, with a deep sigh. "I do not think he cares. He seems
quite indifferent. All the time Sir Stephen and I have been working--"

"Have you been working?" said Howard, raising his eyebrows.

She laughed a little wearily.

"Indeed, yes. I have been--what do you men call it?--log-rolling for
weeks. It is I who have found out what is wanted by the people who can
help us. And it is generally, always, in fact, money. Always money! I
get 'tips' from Sir Stephen and my father, and whisper them to the
lords and ladies who have influence in the political drawing-rooms and
clubs."

"And Sir Stephen?"

She laughed.

"His task is much simpler and easier than mine. He just goes down to
his political club and subscribes so many thousand pounds towards the
party expenses. The other night he gave them--but I must not tell the
secrets of the Tories even to you, Mr. Howard. But it was a very large
sum. It is always done that way, isn't it?"

"I suppose so," he assented. "It must be; for, come to think of it, a
man isn't made a peer simply because he brews good beer; and a great
many of our peers were and are good brewers, you see. Oh, it's all
right, it pans out very satisfactorily, as the miners say. And so
Stafford will be the future Earl of--"

"Earl of Highcliffe," she said. "He has declined anything less than an
earldom. He has given so much. Sir Stephen owns some land there,
and--and some of his people come from there."

Howard laughed.

"I see. Been there since they came over with the Conqueror. The
Herald's College will have no difficulty in finding a coat-of-arms.
Something with a Kaffir and a railway in it."

She smiled tolerantly.

"You always make fun of everything, Mr. Howard. If only Stafford would
care--"

She sighed, and a moment afterwards her hand went to her lip with the
ge