r it sounded!" Julia said, with twinkling
eyes.

Mr. Ponsonby did not see the twinkle; he read Julia a lecture on
selfishness and ended up by saying, "You are utterly selfish and
ingrain lazy, that's what you are; you don't want to do a stroke of
honest work for any one."

"Dishonest work is where I shine," Julia told him. "Oh, not
scoundrelly dishonesty, company promoting, and so on," (Mr. Ponsonby
was on several boards of directors, but he was not a company promoter,
still he snorted a little) "I mean real dishonest work; with a little
practice I would make such a thief as you do not meet every day in the
week."

"I can quite believe it," her uncle retorted grimly; "lazy people
generally do take to lying and stealing and, as I say, lazy is what
you are. Sooner than work for your living, you go and pig in a
cottage, because you think that way you can do nothing all day; lead
an idle life."

"Yes," Julia agreed sweetly; "I think that must be my reason--a nice
comfortable idle life with the pigs and poultry, and garden, and
cooking, and scrubbing, and two incompetent old men. I really think
you must be right."

Here it must be recorded, Mr. Ponsonby very nearly lost his temper,
and not without justification. Was he not giving time and
consideration and (probably) money to help this hopeless family on to
its legs again? And was it not more than mortal middle-aged man could
bear, not only to be opposed by the only member with any means, but
also to be made sly fun of by her? He gave Julia his opinion very
sharply, and no doubt she deserved it. But the worst of it was that
did not prevent her from exercising the right of the person who is not
a beggar to choose.

The Polkington family, who were soon afterwards called in to assist
at the discussion, sided with Mr. Ponsonby. Violet and Mrs. Polkington
with great decision, the Captain more weakly. Eventually he was won
over to Julia because her scheme seemed to hold a place for him where
he could flatter himself he was wanted. The argument went on and
angrily, on the part of some present; Julia was most amiable; but, as
the Van Heigens had found, she was an extremely awkward antagonist,
the more amiable, the more awkward, even in a weak position, as with
them, and in a strong one, as now, she was a great deal worse. Mr.
Ponsonby lost the train he meant to catch back to London; he did not
do it only for the benefit of his sister, but also because Julia had
given battl