ott is so
evidently diagnosing an interesting case that I have not the effrontery
to interrupt him."

Disregarding these comments Richard turned to his neighbour on the
left.

"I beg your pardon, Lady Louisa," he said, "but before this singular
dumbness overtook us all, you were saying?"--

The lady addressed, electing to accept this as a tribute to the
knowledge, and the weight, and distinction, of her discourse, thawed,
became condescending and gracious again.

"I believe we were discussing the prospects of the party," she replied.
"I was saying that, you know, of course there must be a large Liberal
majority."

"Yes, of course."

"You consider that assured?" Julius put in civilly.

"It is not a matter of personal opinion, I am thankful to say--because
of course every one must feel it is just everything for the country.
There is no doubt at all about the majority among those who really
know--Mr. Barking, for instance. Nobody can be in a better position to
judge than he is. And then I was speaking the other night to Augustus
Tremiloe at Lord Combmartin's--not William, you know, but Augustus
Tremiloe, the man in the Treasury, and he----"

"Uncommonly fine chrysanthemums those," Lord Fallowfeild had broken
forth cheerfully, finding sufficient, if tardy, inspiration in the
table decorations. "Remarkably perfect blossoms and charming colour.
Nothing nearly so good at Whitney this autumn. Excellent fellow my head
gardener, but rather past his work--no enterprise, can't make him go in
for new ideas."

Mr. Ormiston, leaning across Dr. Knott, addressed himself to Ludovic,
while casting occasional and rather anxious glances upon his daughter.
Thus did voices rise, mingle, and the talk get fairly upon its legs
again. Then Richard permitted himself to say quietly--

"You had no bad news, I hope, in those letters, Helen?"

"Why should you suppose I have had bad news?" she demanded, her teeth
meeting viciously in the morsel of kissing-crust she held in her
rosy-tipped fingers.

It was as pretty as a game to see her eat. Dickie laughed a little,
charmed even with her naughtiness, embarrassed too, by the directness
of her question.

"Oh! I don't exactly know why--I thought perhaps you seemed----"

"You do know quite exactly why," the young lady asserted, looking full
at him. "You saw that I was in a detestable, a diabolic temper."

"Well, perhaps I did think I saw something of the sort," Richard
answered audaciou