to the support of an army or a navy, if you do not wish to
fight, than to maintain the College of Surgeons or Physicians, if you
object to take physic." He says, "To tell _me_ that I, with eight shillings
a week, have an equal interest in resisting invasion as your Lord Dido,
with eighty thousand per annum, is simply nonsense. If you," cries he to
one of his supporters, "were to be offered your life by a highwayman on
surrendering some few pence or halfpence you carried in _your_ pocket, you
do not mean to dictate what my Lord Marquis might do, who has got a gold
watch and a pocketful of notes in _his_. And so I say once more, let the
rich pay for the defence of what they value. You and I have nothing worth
fighting for, and we will not fight. Then as to religion--"'

'Oh, spare me his theology! I can almost imagine it, Maude. I had no
conception he was such a Radical.'

'He is not really, my lord; but he tells me that we must all go through
this stage. It is, as he says, like a course of those waters whose benefit
is exactly in proportion to the way they disagree with you at first. He
even said, one evening before he went away, "Take my word for it, Lady
Maude, we shall be burning these apostles of ballot and universal suffrage
in effigy one day; but I intend to go beyond every one else in the
meanwhile, else the rebound will lose half its excellence."'

'What is this?' cried he, as the servant entered with a telegram. 'This is
from Athens, Maude, and in cipher, too. How are we to make it out.'

'Cecil has the key, my lord. It is the diplomatic cipher.'

'Do you think you could find it in his room, Maude? It is possible this
might be imminent.'

'I shall see if he is at home,' said she, rising to ring the bell. The
servant sent to inquire returned, saying that Mr. Walpole had dined abroad,
and not returned since dinner.

'I'm sure you could find the book, Maude, and it is a small square-shaped
volume, bound in dark Russia leather, marked with F. O. on the cover.'

'I know the look of it well enough; but I do not fancy ransacking Cecil's
chamber.'

'I do not know that I should like to await his return to read my despatch.
I can just make out that it comes from Atlee.'

'I suppose I had better go, then,' said she reluctantly, as she rose and
left the room.

Ordering the butler to precede and show her the way, Lady Maude ascended
to a storey above that she usually inhabited, and found herself in a very
spaciou