ry, indeed," said Lady Grace.

"The absurd notion that he is a sporting character is the parent of so
many other delusions; he fancies himself affluent, and, stranger still,
imagines he's a gentleman." And the idea so amused her Ladyship that she
laughed aloud at it.

"Mr. Spicer, my Lady," said a servant, flinging wide the door; and in a
most accurate morning-dress, every detail of which was faultless, that
gentleman bowed his way across the room with an amount of eagerness that
might possibly exact a shake of the hand, but, if unsuccessful, might
easily subside into a colder acceptance. Lady Lackington vouchsafed
nothing beyond a faint smile, and the words, "How d'ye do?" as with
a slight gesture she motioned to him the precise chair he was to seat
himself on. Before taking his place, Mr. Spicer made a formal bow to
Lady Grace, who, with a vacant smile, acknowledged the courtesy, and
went on with her work.

"You have made very tolerable haste, Spicer," said Lady Lackington. "I
scarcely expected you before Saturday."

"I have not been to bed for six nights, my Lady."

"You 'll sleep all the better for it to-night, perhaps."

"We had an awful gale of wind in crossing to Calais,--the passage took
eight hours."

"You relished land travelling all the more for it afterwards."

"Not so, my Lady; for at Lyons the whole country was flooded, and we
were obliged to march eleven miles afoot on a railway embankment, and
under a tremendous storm of rain; but even that was not the worst, for
in crossing the St. Bernard--"

"I really don't care for such moving accidents; I always skip them in
the newspapers. What of my mourning,--is much crape worn?"

"A great deal of crape, my Lady, and in 'bouffes' down the dress."

"With bugles or without? I see by your hesitation, sir, you have
forgotten about the bugles."

"No, my Lady, I have them," said he, proudly; "small acorns of Jet are
also worn on points of the flounces, and Madame Frontin suggested that,
as your Ladyship dislikes black so much--"

"But who said as much, sir?" broke she in, angrily.

"And the caviare, Mr. Spicer,--have you remembered the caviare?" lisped
out Lady Grace.

"Yes, my Lady; but Fortnum's people are afraid some of it may prove a
failure. There was something, I don't know what, happened to the fish in
the Baltic this year."

"Who ventured to say black was unbecoming to me?" asked Lady Lackington,
changing her question, and speaking more angr