pass a pleasant summer.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE REGISTRAR OF STATE RECORDS.

Although Lord Persiflage had seemed to be very angry with the
recusant Duke, and had made that uncivil speech about the gutter,
still he was quite willing that George Roden should be asked down to
Castle Hautboy. "Of course we must do something for him," he said to
his wife; "but I hate scrupulous men. I don't blame him at all for
making such a girl as Fanny fall in love with him. If I were a Post
Office clerk I'd do the same if I could."

"Not you. You wouldn't have given yourself the trouble."

"But when I had done it I wouldn't have given her friends more
trouble than was necessary. I should have known that they would have
had to drag me up somewhere. I should have looked for that. But I
shouldn't have made myself difficult when chance gave a helping hand.
Why shouldn't he have taken his title?"

"Of course we all wish he would."

"Fanny is as bad as he is. She has caught some of Hampstead's
levelling ideas and encourages the young man. It was all Kingsbury's
fault from the first. He began the world wrong, and now he cannot get
himself right again. A radical aristocrat is a contradiction in
terms. It is very well that there should be Radicals. It would be a
stupid do-nothing world without them. But a man can't be oil and
vinegar at the same time." This was the expression made by Lord
Persiflage of his general ideas on politics in reference to George
Roden and his connection with the Trafford family; but not the less
was George Roden asked down to Castle Hautboy. Lady Frances was not
to be thrown over because she had made a fool of herself,--nor was
George Roden to be left out in the cold, belonging as he did now to
Lady Frances. Lord Persiflage never approved very much of
anybody,--but he never threw anybody over.

It was soon after the funeral of Marion Fay that Roden went down to
Cumberland. During the last two months of Marion's illness Hampstead
and Roden had been very often together. Not that they had lived
together, as Hampstead had declared himself unable to bear continued
society. His hours had been passed alone. But there had not been many
days in which the friends had not seen each other for a few minutes.
It had become a habit with Hampstead to ride over to Paradise Row
when Roden had returned from the office. At first Mrs. Roden also had
been there;--but latterly she had spent her time altogether at
Pegwell Bay. Nev