said Rachel.

"His looks must be wonderfully expressive. He did not look it to me
at all. He simply told me, as one of the managers of the theatre, I
was to let you have whatever money you wanted. And he did whisper to
me,--may I tell you what he whispered?"

"I suppose you may. He seems to me to be a very good-natured kind of
man."

"Poor old Le Gros! A very good-natured man, I should say. He doesn't
carry the house, that's all."

"You do that." Then she remembered that the man was a lord. "I ought
to have said 'my lord,'" she said; "but I forgot. I hope you'll
excuse me--my lord."

"We are not very particular about that in theatrical matters; or,
rather, I am particular with some and not with others. You'll learn
all about it in process of time. M. Le Gros whispered that he thought
there was not the pleasantest understanding in the world between you
and the people here."

"Well, no; there is not,--my lord."

"Bother the lord,--just now."

"With all my heart," said Rachel, who could not avoid the little
bit of fun which was here implied. "Not but what the--the people
here--would find me any amount of money I chose to ask for. There are
people, you see, one does not wish to borrow money from. I take my
salary here, but nothing more. The fact is, I have not only taken it,
but spent it, and to tell the truth, I have not a shilling to amuse
myself with during the dull season. Mr. Moss knows all about it, and
has simply asked how much I wanted. 'Nothing,' I replied, 'nothing at
all; nothing at all.' And that's how I am situated."

"No debts?"

"Not a dollar. Beyond that I shouldn't have a dollar left to get out
of London with." Then she remembered herself,--that it was expedient
that she should tell this man something about herself. "I have got a
father, you know, and he has to be paid for as well as me. He is the
sweetest, kindest, most generous father that a girl ever had, and he
could make lots of money for himself, only the police won't let him."

"What do the police do to him?" said Lord Castlewell.

"He is not a burglar, you know, or anything of that kind."

"He is an Irish politician, isn't he?"

"He is very much of a politician; but he is not an Irishman."

"Irish name," suggested the lord.

"Irish name, yes; so are half the names in my country. My father
comes from the United States. And he is strongly impressed with
the necessity of putting down the horrid injustice with which the
poor Irish