u and your father shall come and dine with
me down at Richmond to-day. There is old Mrs. Peacock, who used to
sing bouffe parts at the Queen's Theatre. She is a most respectable
old party, and she shall come if you will let her."

"For papa to flirt with?" said Rachel.

"Not at all. With a party of four there is never any flirting. It is
all solid sense. I want to have some serious conversation about that
L200. Mrs. Peacock will be able to give me her opinion."

"She won't be able to lend me the money?"

"I'm afraid she isn't a good doctor for that disease. But you must
dine somewhere, and do say you will come."

But Rachel was determined not to come,--at any rate not to say that
she would come without consulting her father. So she explained that
the Member of Parliament was hard at work at the British Museum,
writing a book against the payment of rents, and that she could not
go without consulting him. But Lord Castlewell made that very easy.
"I'll go and see," said he, "how a man looks when he is writing a
book on such a subject; and I'll be back and tell you all about
it. I'll drive you down in my phaeton,--of course if your father
consents. If he wants to bring his book with him, the groom shall
carry it in a box."

"And what about Mrs. Peacock?"

"There won't be any trouble about her, because she lives at Richmond.
You needn't be a bit afraid for your father's sake, because she is
over sixty." Then he started off, and came back in half an hour,
saying that Mr. O'Mahony had expressed himself quite satisfied to do
as he was told.

"The deceit of the world, the flesh, and the devil, get the better of
one on every side," said Rachel, when she was left to herself. "Who
would have thought of the noble lord spinning off to the British
Museum on such an errand as that! But he will give papa a good
dinner, and I shan't be any the worse. A man must be very bad before
he can do a woman an injury if she is determined not to be injured."

Lord Castlewell drove the two down to Richmond, and very pleasant
the drive was. The conversation consisted of quizzing Mr. O'Mahony
about his book, as to which he was already beginning to be a little
out of heart. But he bore the quizzing well, and was thoroughly
good-humoured as he saw the lord and his daughter sitting on the
front seat before him. "I am a Landleaguing Home-Ruler, you know, my
lord, of the most advanced description. The Speaker has never turned
me out of the Hous