u're abusing a friend of mine."

"A friend of yours!" said Lady Gridborough. "Well, he was a friend of
mine once." She sighed. "He is one no longer; and, if you take my
advice, you will have nothing more to do with him."

"There is no person on earth whose advice I value more highly than
yours, Lady Gridborough," said Reggie, as blandly as before; "and in
most matters, I should accept it and follow it without hesitation; but,
in this matter of my friend, Mr. Sydney Green----"

"Mr. Sydney--what?" broke in the old lady, evidently much agitated. "Oh,
an alias, of course; yes, I'm not surprised that he should be ashamed of
his own name. But, Celia, Celia Grant--oh, it is too sad! I must tell
her, warn her."

"My dear Lady Gridborough," said Reggie, smoothly, "I'm going to ask you
a great favour."

"What is it?" said Lady Gridborough, glancing over her shoulder at
Derrick and Celia in a half-fearsome way. "I can't think of anything
else but that young man and--and Celia Grant. Such a dear, sweet girl!"

"My favours concerns both the wicked young man and the dear, sweet
girl," said Reggie. "I am going to ask you to refrain from uttering your
warning; for two reasons. First, because Miss Grant is in love with him,
and wouldn't listen to you--and wouldn't believe you, if she did listen
to you; and secondly because, if I may use a vulgarism quite unfit for
your aristocratic ears, you will upset the apple-cart."

"Apple-cart!" echoed Lady Gridborough, looking round confusedly. "What
apple-cart? I thought for the moment we were going to run into
something! You mean that you want me not to speak to Celia, to tell her
what I know about your precious--Mr. Sydney Black?"

"Green," corrected Reggie, suavely. "Yes, that's what I want, Lady
Gridborough; and I shall be eternally grateful, if you will consent to
perform that operation which has hitherto been considered an impossible
one to your sex."

"Operation!" repeated Lady Gridborough, staring at him. "What are you
talking about now? What operation?"

"Holding your tongue, dear Lady Gridborough," said Reggie. "Though not
fatal, it is always painful; but you really must perform it on this
occasion--for Miss Grant's sake, to say nothing of mine."

As the jingle drove on, Derrick and Celia stood watching it in silence.
She had seen the sudden change in Lady Gridborough's manner at sight of
Derrick; the old lady's agitation had been too obvious, the cut had been
too direct,