athy to offer you."

"I begin to fear, Miss Scott," he said, "that you are not what is called
sympathetic."

She smiled--and the smile broke into a laugh, as though some transient
idea rather than his words had pleased her.

"You should apply to my cousin Selina for that," she said. "Every one
calls her most delightfully sympathetic."

"Sympathy," he remarked, "is either a heaven-sent joy--or a bore. It
depends upon the individual."

"That is either enigmatical or rude," she answered. "But, after all,
you don't know Selina."

"Why not?" he asked. "I have talked with her as long as with you--and I
feel that I know you quite well."

"I can't be responsible for your feelings," she said, a little
brusquely, "but I'm quite sure that I don't know you well enough to be
sitting here at tea with you even."

"I won't admit that," he answered, "but it was very nice of you to come.

"The fact of it was," she admitted, "my headache and appetite were
stronger than my sense of the conventions. Now that the former are
dissipated the latter are beginning to assert themselves. And so--"

She began to draw on her gloves. Just then a carriage with postilions
and ladies with luggage came clattering up the street. She watched it
with darkening face.

"That is the sort of man I detest," she said, motioning her head towards
the window. "You know whose carriage it is, don't you?"

He shook his head.

"No, I did not know that any one round here drove with positions."

"It is the Marquis of Arranmore. He has a place at Enton, I believe,
but he is only here for a few months in the year."

Brooks started and leaned eagerly forward.

"Why do you hate him?" he asked. "What has he done?"

"Didn't you hear how he treated the Mayor when he went out for a
subscription to the Unemployed Fund?"

Brooks shook his head.

"No! I have heard nothing."

"Poor old Mr. Wensome went out all that way purposely to see him. He
was kept waiting an hour, and then when he explained his errand the
Marquis laughed at him. 'My dear fellow,' he said, 'the poor people of
Medchester do not interest me in the least. I do not go to the people
who are better off than I am and ask them to help support me, nor do I
see the least reason why those who are worse off than I am should expect
me to support them.' Mr. Wensome tried to appeal to his humanity, and
the brute only continued to laugh in a cynical way. He declared that
poor people did not interest him.