y--at least
he says she does--simply because he'll be Lord Kilmore when I'm dead.
You've met my nephew Godfrey, so you'll realize that she can't
possibly have any other motive."

"What," said Conroy, "does your Government expect me to do in return
for making me attractive to Tottie Pringle?"

"It's not my Government," I said. "I'm not mixed up with it or
responsible for it in any way."

"I always understood," said Conroy, "that you are a Liberal."

"Everybody understands that," I said, "and it's no use my
contradicting it. As for what the Government wants you to do, I
haven't been actually told; but I fancy you'd be expected to stop
giving subscriptions to Lady Moyne."

"Is that all?"

"That's all I can think of. But, of course, there may be other
things."

"I reckon," said Conroy, "that your Government can't be quite fool
enough to mind much about what Lady Moyne does with my money. The
pennies she drops into the slot so as to make Babberly talk won't hurt
them any."

This was very much my own opinion. If I were a member of the
government--I rather think I actually was, a few weeks later--Babberly
would merely stimulate me.

"You can tell your Government from me--" said Conroy.

"It's not my Government."

"Well tell _that_ Government from me, that when I want a title I'll
put down the full market price. At present I'm not taking any."

Next day Conroy went off with Crossan in his motor car. He did not
come back. I got a telegram from him later in the afternoon asking me
to forward his luggage to Belfast. I forget the excuse he made for
treating me in this very free and easy way; but there was an excuse, I
know, probably quite a long one, for the telegram filled three sheets
of the paper which the post-office uses for these messages.

Conroy's sudden departure was a bitter sorrow and disappointment to
Godfrey. He came up to dinner that night with three new pearl studs in
the front of his shirt.

"What I can't understand," he said, "is why a man like Conroy should
spend his time with your upper servants; people like Crossan, whom I
shouldn't dream of shaking hands with."

"I'm afraid," I said, "that he's not going to give you that job you
hoped for."

"He may," said Godfrey. "I think he liked me right enough. If only he
could be got to believe that Power is robbing him right and left."

"But is he?"

"He's doing what practically comes to the same thing. Once Conroy
finds out--and he will some da