hat Miss
Million and "The Sausage King" had something to do with each other!
Awful young man! Million, looking visibly overcome, murmured: "Fancy
dad's own brother having such classy friends out there! A Honourable!
Doesn't that mean being relations with some duke or earl?"
"Mr. Burke is the second son of Lord Ballyneck, an Irish peer, I
believe, Madam," the chamber-maid informed us--or rather me. I wish all
these people wouldn't turn to me always, ignoring the real head of
affairs, Million. Never mind. Wait until I've got her into her new
gowns, and myself into the cap and apron! There'll be a difference then!
The chamber-maid added: "Mr. Burke left a message for Miss Million."
"A message----"
"Yes, Madam; he said he would give himself the pleasure of calling upon
you to-morrow afternoon here at about four o'clock, to have a talk about
mutual friends. I said that I would let Miss Million know."
"Glory!" ejaculated Million, as the chamber-maid withdrew. "Jer hear
that, Miss Beatrice?"
"I hear you calling me by my wrong name again," I said severely.
"Smith, I mean! D'you take it in that we're going to have that young
gentleman coming calling here to-morrow to see us? Oh, lor'! I shall be
too nervous to open my mouth, I know.... Which of me new dresses d'you
think I'd better put on, M--Smith? Better be the very grandest I got,
didn't it? Oh! I shall go trembly all over when I see him again close
to, I know I shall," babbled Million, starry-eyed with excitement.
"Didn't I ought to drop him a line to thank him for them lovely flowers
and to say I shall be so pleased to see him?"
"Certainly not!" I said firmly. "In the first place, I don't think you
ought to see him at all." Million gaped at me.
"Not see----But he's coming here to call!"
My voice sounded as severe as Aunt Anastasia's own as I returned: "I
don't think he seemed a very desirable sort of visitor."
"Not----But, Miss, dear, you heard what the maid said. He's a
Honourable!"
"I don't care if he's a Serene Highness. I didn't like the look of him."
"I thought he looked lovely!" protested the little heiress, gazing
half-timidly, half-reproachfully upon me. "Look at the beautiful kind
smile he'd got, and so good-lookin'! And even if he wasn't a lord's son,
you could see at a glance that he was a perfect gentleman, used to every
luxury!"
"Yes, I daresay," I began. "But--well! I don't know how to explain why I
don't think we--you ought to
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