n--a man who had made his money in iron--in
cochineal--on the Stock Exchange--had seemed to her absolute
degradation, the surrender of all her lofty hopes, her golden dreams.
But Lady Kirkbank had put the question in a new light when she said that
Smithson would be offered a peerage. Smithson the peer would be
altogether a different person from Smithson the commoner.

But was Lady Kirkbank sure of her facts, or truthful in her statement?
Lesbia's experience of her chaperon's somewhat loose notions of truth
and exactitude made her doubtful upon this point.

Be this it might she was inclined to be civil to Smithson, albeit she
was inwardly surprised and offended at his taking her refusal so calmly.

'You see that I am determined not to lose the privilege of your society,
because I have been foolish!' he said presently, in the pause after the
first part of the recital. 'I hope you will consider me as much your
friend to-day as I was yesterday.'

'Quite as much,' she answered sweetly, and then they talked of Raff, and
Rubenstein, and Henselt, and all the composers about whom it is the
correct thing to discourse nowadays.

Before they left Belgrave Square Lady Kirkbank had offered Mr. Smithson
Sir George's place in her box at the Gaiety that evening, and had
invited him to supper in Arlington Street afterwards.

It was Sarah Bernhardt's first season in London--the
never-to-be-forgotten season of the Comedie Francaise.

'I should love of all things to be there,' said Mr. Smithson, meekly. He
had a couple of stalls in the third row for the whole of the season.
'But how can I be sure that I shall not be turning Sir George out of
doors?'

'Sir George can never sit out a serious play. He only cares for Chaumont
or Judie. The Demi-monde is much too prosy for him.'

'The Demi-monde is one of the finest plays in the French language,' said
Smithson. 'You know it, of course, Lady Lesbia?'

'Alas! no. At Fellside I was not allowed to read French plays or novels:
or only a novel now and then, which my grandmother selected for me.'

'And now you read everything, I suppose,--including Zola?'

'The books are lying about, and I dip into them sometimes while I am
having my hair brushed,' answered Lesbia, lightly.

'I believe that is the only time ladies devote to literature during the
season,' said Mr. Smithson. 'Well, I envy you the delight of seeing the
Demi-monde without knowing what it is all about beforehand.'

'I daresa