rhaps she did not think of that as much as she ought
to have done. She ought also to have remembered that he was an earl,
and she but a singing girl, and that something was due to him for the
honour he was doing her. But of this she would take no account. She
was to be his wife, and a wife ought to be equal to the husband. Such
at least was her American view of the matter. In fact, her ideas on
the matter ran as follows: My future husband is not entitled to call
my father an ass because he is a lord, seeing that my father is a
Member of Parliament. Nor is he entitled to call him so because he is
an ass, because the same thing is true of his own father. And thus
there came to be discord in her mind.

"I suppose all Parliament people make asses of themselves sometimes,
Lords as well as Commons. I don't see how a man is to go on talking
for ever about laws and landleagues, and those sort of things without
doing so. It is all bosh to me. And so I should think it must be to
you, as you don't do it. But I do not think that father is worse than
anybody else; and I think that his words are sometimes very
beautiful."

"Why, my dear, there is not a man about London who is not laughing at
him."

"I saw in _The Times_ the other day that he is considered a very true
and a very honest man. Of course, they said that he talked nonsense
sometimes; but if you put the honesty against the nonsense, he will
be as good as anybody else."

"I don't think you understand, my dear. Honesty is not what they
want."

"Oh!"

"But what they don't want especially is nonsense."

"Poor papa! But he doesn't mean to consult them as to what they want.
His idea is that if everybody can be got to be honest this question
may be settled among them. But it must be talked about, and he, at
any rate, is eloquent. I have heard it said that there was not a more
eloquent man in New York. I think he has got as many good gifts as
anyone else."

In this way there rose some bad feeling. Lord Castlewell did think
that there was something wanting in the manner in which he was
treated by his bride. He was sure that he loved her, but he was sure
also that when a lord marries a singing girl he ought to expect some
special observance. And the fact that the singing girl's father was
a Member of Parliament was much less to him than to her. He, indeed,
would have been glad to have the father abolished altogether. But she
had become very proud of her father since he ha