ote that
would touch their hearts. This was his first really good chance, the
first opening for such a _coup_ as he loved. His eyes were bright as he
opened an atlas and verified with precision the exact position of the
Colonial Statesman's Colony; he had known it before of course--roughly.

Lady Richard had much affection in her nature and with it a fine spice
of malice. The two ingredients combined to bring her to the gallery; she
wished to please Dick, and she wished to be in a position to annoy him
by deriding Quisante. So there she sat looking down on the men through a
haze of cigar-smoke which afflicted the ladies' noses and threatened
seriously to affect their gowns.

"They might give up their tobacco for one night," muttered a girl near
her.

"They'd much rather give us up, my dear," retorted a dowager who felt
that she would be considered a small sacrifice and was not unwilling to
make others think the same about themselves.

By Lady Richard's side sat May Gaston. The time is happily gone by when
any one is allowed even to assume indifference about the Empire, yet it
may be doubted whether interest in the Empire had the chief share in
moving her to accept Lady Richard's invitation. Nor did she want to hear
Dick Benyon, nor the Colonial Statesman; quite openly she desired and
expressed her desire to see what Quisante would make of it.

"How absurd!" said Lady Richard crossly. "Besides he's only got a few
words to say."

May smiled and glanced along the row of ladies. About ten places from
her was a funny little old woman with an absurd false front of fair hair
and a black silk gown cut in ancient fashion; her features showed vivid
disgust at the atmosphere and she made frequent use of a large bottle of
smelling-salts. Next to her, on the other side, was Mrs. Gellatly, who
nodded and smiled effusively at May.

"Who's the funny old woman?" May asked.

Lady Richard looked round and made a constrained bow; the old lady
smiled a little and sniffed the bottle again.

"Oh, she's an aunt of the man's; come to hear him, I suppose. Oh, Dick's
getting up."

Amid polite attention and encouraging "Hear, hears" Dick made his way
through a few appropriate sentences which his hearty sincerity redeemed
from insignificance. The Colonial Statesman had a well-founded idea that
the zeal of his audience outstripped its knowledge, and set himself to
improve the latter rather than to inflame the former. His reward was a
so