thout money," the girl said with almost fierce derision,
"and you tell me you will give it away!" She laughed again angrily, as
if such a brag was offensive and insulting to her own poverty. The boy
who had never in his life known what it was to want anything that money
could procure for him, treated the whole question lightly, and
undervalued its importance altogether. But the girl who knew by
experience what was involved in the want of it, heard with a sort of
wondering fury this slighting treatment of what was to her the
universal panacea. Her cynicism and satirical unbelief grew into
indignation. "And you tell me it is wise to give it away!"

"Lucy has got to do it, whether it is wise or not," said Jock, almost
overawed by this high moral disapproval. "We went to the lawyer about it
the day you came. He is settling it now. She is giving away--well, a
good many thousand pounds."

"Pounds are more than francs, eh?" said Bice quickly.

"More than francs! just twenty-five times more," cried Jock, proud of
his knowledge, "a thousand pounds is----"

"Then I don't believe you!" cried the girl in an outburst of passion,
and she fled from him across the park, catching up her dress and running
at a pace which even Jock with his long legs knew he could not keep up
with. He gazed with surprise, standing still and watching her with the
words arrested on his lips. "But she can't keep it up long like that,"
after a moment Jock said.

The time, however, approached when the two friends had to part. Jock
left the Hall a few days after Lady Randolph, and he was somehow not
very glad to go. The family life had been less cheerful lately, and
conversation languished when the domestic party were alone together.
When the Contessa was present she kept up the ball, maintaining at least
with Sir Tom an always animated and lively strain of talk; but at
breakfast there was not much said, and of late a little restraint had
crept even between the master and mistress of the house, no one could
tell how. The names of the guests were scarcely mentioned between them.
Sir Tom was very attentive and kind to his wife, but he was more silent
than he used to be, reading his letters and his newspapers. Lucy had
been quite satisfied when he said, though it must be allowed with a
laugh not devoid of embarrassment, that it was more important he should
master all the papers and see how public opinion was running, now when
it was so near the opening of Par