ent bad humor.

"What? And you made a direct proposal?"

"Showed her my whole hand. Made a square offer. Damme, I am not used to
this sort of thing."

"You don't mean that she refused you?"

"Don't know what you call it. Wouldn't start."

"She couldn't have understood you. What did she say?"

"Said it was too much honor, and that rot. By Jove, she didn't look it.
I rather liked her pluck. She didn't flinch."

"Oh, is that all?" And Mrs. Mavick spoke as if her mind were relieved.
"What could you expect from such a sudden proposal to a young girl,
almost a child, wholly unused to the world? I should have done the same
thing at her age. It will look different to her when she reflects, and
understands what the position is that is offered her. Leave that to me."

Lord Montague shook his head and screwed up his keen little eyes. His
mind was in full play. "I know women, Mrs. Mavick, and I tell you there
is something behind this. Somebody has been in the stable." The noble
lord usually dropped into slang when he was excited.

"I don't understand your language," said Mrs. Mavick, straightening
herself up in her seat.

"I beg pardon. It is just a way of speaking on the turf. When a favorite
goes lame the morning of the race, we know some one has been tampering
with him. I tell you there is some one else. She has some one else in
her mind. That's the reason of it."

"Nonsense." cried Mrs. Mavick, with the energy of conviction. "It's
impossible. There is nobody, couldn't be anybody. She has led a secluded
life till this hour. She hasn't a fancy, I know."

"I hope you are right," he replied, in the tone of a man wishing to take
a cheerful view. "Perhaps I don't understand American girls."

"I think I do," she said, smiling. "They are generally amenable to
reason. Evelyn now has something definite before her. I am glad you
proposed."

And this was the truth. Mrs. Mavick was elated. So far her scheme was
completely successful. As to Evelyn, she trusted to various influences
she could bring to bear. Ultimate disobedience of her own wishes she did
not admit as a possible thing.

A part of her tactics was the pressure of public opinion, so far as
society represents it--that is, what society expects. And therefore
it happened in a few days that a strong suspicion got about that
Lord Montague had proposed formally to the heiress. The suspicion was
strengthened by appearances. Mrs. Mavick did not deny the rumor. That
the