of "a quint." Mr. Gresham had expressed an
opinion, somewhat off-hand, that English people would never be got
to talk about quints, and so there was a difficulty. A little dinner
was therefore arranged, and Mr. Palliser, as was his custom in such
matters, put the affair of the dinner into his wife's hands. When he
was told that she had included Lord Fawn among the guests he opened
his eyes. Lord Fawn, who might be good enough at the India Office,
knew literally nothing about the penny. "He'll take it as the
greatest compliment in the world," said Lady Glencora. "I don't want
to pay Lord Fawn a compliment," said Mr. Palliser. "But I do," said
Lady Glencora. And so the matter was arranged.

It was a very nice little dinner. Mrs. Gresham and Mrs. Bonteen were
there, and the great question of the day was settled in two minutes,
before the guests went out of the drawing-room. "Stick to your
farthing," said Mr. Gresham.

"I think so," said Mr. Palliser.

"Quint's a very easy word," said Mr. Bonteen.

"But squint is an easier," said Mr. Gresham, with all a prime
minister's jocose authority.

"They'd certainly be called cock-eyes," said Barrington Erle.

"There's nothing of the sound of a quarter in farthing," said Mr.
Palliser.

"Stick to the old word," said Mr. Gresham. And so the matter was
decided while Lady Glencora was flattering Lord Fawn as to the manner
in which he had finally arranged the affair of the Sawab of Mygawb.
Then they went down to dinner, and not a word more was said that
evening about the new penny by Mr. Palliser.

Before dinner Lady Glencora had exacted a promise from Lord Fawn that
he would return to the drawing-room. Lady Glencora was very clever
at such work, and said nothing then of her purpose. She did not
want her guests to run away, and therefore Lord Fawn,--Lord Fawn
especially,--must stay. If he were to go there would be nothing
spoken of all the evening, but that weary new penny. To oblige her he
must remain;--and, of course, he did remain. "Whom do you think I saw
the other day?" said Lady Glencora, when she got her victim into a
corner. Of course, Lord Fawn had no idea whom she might have seen. Up
to that moment no suspicion of what was coming upon him had crossed
his mind. "I called upon poor Lady Eustace, and found her in bed."
Then did Lord Fawn blush up to the roots of his hair, and for a
moment he was stricken dumb. "I do feel for her so much! I think she
has been so hardly u