a low bow, he set off about his business, leaving the ladies in a
state of sweet disturbance. Blyth Scudamore's mother wept a little, for
ancient troubles and present pleasure. Lord Dashville could not repeat
before her all that the blunt old King had said: "Monstrous ill-treated
woman, shameful, left without a penny, after all her poor husband did
for me and the children! Not my fault a bit--fault of the Whigs--always
stingy--said he made away with himself--bad example--don't believe a
word of it; very cheerful man. Blown by now, at any rate--must see
what can be done for her--obliged to go for governess--disgrace to the
Crown!"

Faith, with her quiet self-respect, and the largeness learned from
sorrow, was almost capable of not weeping that she had left at home her
apple-green Poland mantlet and jockey bonnet of lilac satin checked with
maroon. But Dolly had no such weight of by-gone sorrow to balance
her present woe, and the things she had left at home were infinitely
brighter than that dowdy Faith's.

"Is there time to drive back? Is there time to drive home? The King
knows father, and he will be astonished to see a pair of frumps, and
he won't understand one bit about the dust, or the sun that takes the
colour out. He will think we have got all our best things on. Oh,
Lady Scudamore, how could you do it? You told us to put on quite plain
things, because of the dust, and the sun, and all that; and it might
come to rain, you said--as if it was likely, when the King was on the
hill! And with all your experience of the King and Queen, that you told
us about last evening, you must have known that they would send for us.
Gregory, how long would it take you to go home, at full gallop, allow us
half an hour in the house, and be back here again, when all these people
are gone by?"

"Well, miss, there be a steepish bit of road, and a many ockard
cornders; I should say 'a might do it in two hours and a half, with a
fresh pair of nags put in while you ladies be a-cleaning of yourselves,
miss. Leastways, if Hadmiral not object."

"Hadmiral, as you call him, would have nothing to do with it"--Dolly was
always free-spoken with the servants, which made her very popular with
some of them--"he has heavier duty than he can discharge. But two hours
and a half is hopeless; we must even go as we are."

Coachman Gregory smiled in his sleeve. He knew that the Admiral had that
day a duty far beyond his powers--to bring up his Sea-Fen