ome to high tea, but on reflection dismissed it, in case an
inconvenient number should come at once. She would never have gone into
detail, but since a tin of sardines will only hold so many, I may say
for her that it was the part of wisdom.

Mr Hesketh, however, wore the safe and attractive aspect of a single
exceptional instance; there were always sardines enough for him. It
will be imagined what pleasure Mrs Milburn and Miss Filkin took in his
visits, how he propped up their standard of behaviour in all things
unessential, which was too likely to be growing limp, so far from
approved examples. I think it was a real aesthetic satisfaction; I know
they would talk of it afterward for hours, with sighing comparisons of
the "form" of the young men of Elgin, which they called beside Hesketh's
quite outre. It was a favourite word with Mrs Milburn--outre. She used
it like a lorgnette, and felt her familiarity with it a differentiating
mark. Mr Milburn, never so susceptible to delicate distinctions, looked
upon the young Englishman with benevolent neutrality. Dora wished it
to be understood that she reserved her opinion. He might be all that he
seemed, and again he might not. Englishmen were so deep. They might have
nice manners, but they didn't always act up to them, so far as she had
noticed. There was that Honourable Somebody, who was in jail even
then for trying to borrow money under false pretences from the
Governor-General. Lorne, when she expressed these views to him,
reassured her, but she continued to maintain a guarded attitude upon Mr
Hesketh, to everybody except Mr Hesketh himself.

It was Dora, as I have said, who imparted the news. Lorne had come over
with it in the afternoon, still a little dazed and unbelieving in the
face of his tremendous luck, helped by finding her so readily credulous
to thinking it reasonably possible himself. He could not have done
better than come to Dora for a correction of any undue exaltation that
he might have felt, however. She supplied it in ten minutes by reminding
him of their wisdom in keeping the secret of their relations. His
engagement to the daughter of a prominent Conservative would not indeed
have told in his favour with his party, to say nothing of the anomaly
of Mr Milburn's unyielding opposition to the new policy. "I never knew
Father so nearly bitter about anything," Dora said, a statement which
left her lover thoughtful, but undaunted.

"We'll bring him round," sai