on which she had had Spanish blood in her veins, and
(according to Plantagenet's account) never went out without a lace
mantilla flowing from her foxy head. It would, indeed, be rash to fix
on any nationality to which the venerable lady might not lay claim,
when her son's interests so willed it.

"She came from--er--Galway," he says now; "good old family
too--but--out at elbows and--and--that."

"Yes?" Molly says, interested. "And her name?"

"Blake," replies he, unblushingly, knowing there never was a Blake that
did not come out of Galway.

"I feel quite as though I had known you forever," says Molly, much
pleased. "You know my principal crime is my Hibernian extraction, which
perhaps makes me cling to the fact more and more. Mr. Amherst cannot
forgive me--my father."

"Yet he was of good family, I believe, and all that?" questioningly.

"Beyond all doubt. What a question for you to ask! Did you ever hear of
an Irishman who wasn't of good family? My father"--with a mischievous
smile--"was a direct descendant of King O'Toole or Brian Boru,--I don't
know which; and if the king had only got his own, my dear brother would
at this moment be dispensing hospitality in a palace."

"You terrify me," said Mr. Potts, profoundly serious. "Why, the blood
of all the Howards would be weak as water next to yours. Not that there
is anything to be surprised at; for if over there was any one in the
world who ought to be a princess it is----"

"Molly, will you sing us something?" Lady Stafford breaks in,
impatiently, at this juncture, putting a stop to Mr. Potts's
half-finished compliment.

* * * * *

"Molly, I want to speak to you for a moment," Luttrell says next day,
coming upon her suddenly in the garden.

"Yes?" coldly. "Well, hurry, then; they are waiting for me in the
tennis-ground."

"It seems to me that some one is always waiting for you now when I want
to speak to you," says the young man, bitterly.

"For me?" with a would-be-astonished uplifting of her straight brows.
"Oh, no, I am not in such request at Herst. I am ready to listen to you
at any time; although I must confess I do not take kindly to
lecturing."

"Do I lecture you?"

"Do not let us waste time going into details: ask me this all-important
question and let me be gone."

"I want to know"--severely, yet anxiously--"whether you really meant
all you said yesterday morning?"

"Yesterday morning!" says Miss