ion.
Have you no more sense than to trust them to the care of a red-headed
clown from whom they can be taken as easy as if they were picked up
off the street?"

"Indeed, believe me, Lady Mary, that no red-headed clown has any
papers of mine."

"Indeed, and I think you speak the true word there. The papers are now
in my father's possession, and he will know how to take care of them."

"Well, he didn't know that the last time he had them," I cried,
feeling angry at these unjust accusations, and not being able to bear
the compliment to the old man, even if he was an Earl. "The papers,"
said I, "are as easily picked from me as from the street, like you
were saying just now; but it isn't a pack of overfed flunkeys that
will lift them from me. Lady Mary, on a previous occasion I placed the
papers in your hands; now, with your kind permission, I lay them at
your feet,"--and, saying this with the most courteous obeisance, I
knelt with one knee on the floor and placed the packet of papers where
I said I would place them.

Now, ever since that, the Lady Mary denies that she kicked them to the
other end of the room. She says that as she was walking to and fro the
toe of her foot touched the packet and sent it spinning; and, as no
real Irishman ever yet contradicted a lady, all I will say is that the
precious bundle went hurtling to the other end of the room, and it is
very likely that Lady Mary thought the gesture of her foot a trifle
too much resembled an action of her mother, the Countess, for her
manner changed in the twinkling of an eye, and she laughed like her
old self again.

"Mr. O'Ruddy," she said, "you put me out of all patience. You're as
simple as if you came out of Ireland yesterday."

"It's tolerably well known," said I, "by some of your expert
swordsmen, that I came out the day before."

Again Lady Mary laughed.

"You're not very wise in the choice of your friends," she said.

"I am, if I can count you as one of them," I returned.

She made no direct reply to this, but continued:

"Can't you see that that little Doctor Chord is a traitor? He has been
telling my father all you have been doing and all you have been
planning, and he says you are almost simple enough to have given the
papers into his own keeping no longer ago than last night."

"Now, look you, Lady Mary, how much you misjudged me. The little
villain asked for the papers, but he didn't get them; then he advised
me to give them to a man I