f the
ballroom, of the number of bedrooms, of the man-servants and
maid-servants, of the motors and horses.

"Forty bedrooms!" she said, in scandalised tones. "The thing's
rideeclous. Mair like an institution than a private hoose."

"Oh, it's a _gentleman's_ 'ouse," said Mawson proudly--"the sort of
thing Miss Reston's accustomed to. At Bidborough, I'm told, there's
bedrooms to 'old a regiment, and the same at Mintern Abbas, but I've
never been there yet. It was all the talk in the servants' 'all at
Champertoun 'oo would be Lady Bidborough. There were several likely
young ladies there, but 'e didn't seem partial to any of them."

"Whaur's he awa to the noo?"

"Back to London for a bit, I 'eard, and later on we're joining 'im at
Bidborough. Beller, I was thinking to myself when they were h'all
talking, what if Lady B. should be a Priorsford lady? His lordship did
seem h'attentive in at The Rigs. Wouldn't it be a fine thing for Miss
Jean?"

Miss Bathgate suddenly had a recollection of Jean as she had seen her
pass that morning--a wistful face under a shabby hat.

"Hut," she said, tossing her head and lying glibly. "It's ma opeenion
that the Lord askit Miss Jean when he was in Priorsford, and she simply
sent him to the right about."

She took a drink of tea, with a defiant twirl of her little finger, and
pretended not to see the shocked expression on Mawson's face. To Mawson
it sounded like sacrilege for anyone to refuse anything to his lordship.

"Oh, Beller! Miss Jean would 'ave jumped at 'im!"

"Naething o' the kind," said Miss Bathgate fiercely, forgetting all
about her former pessimism as to Jean's chance of getting a man, and
desiring greatly to champion her cause. "D'ye think Miss Jean's sitting
here waitin' to jump at a man like a cock at a grossit? Na! He'll be a
lucky man that gets her, and weel his lordship kens it. She's no pented
up to the een-holes like thae London Jezebels. Her looks'll stand wind
and water. She's a kind, wise lassie, and if she condescends to the
Lord, I'm sure I hope he'll be guid to her. For ma ain pairt I wud faur
rather see her marry a dacent, ordinary man like a minister or a
doctor--but we've nane o' thae kind needin' wives in Priorsford the noo,
so Miss Jean 'll mebbe hev to fa' back on a lord...."

On the afternoon of the day this conversation took place in Hillview
kitchen, Jean sat in the living-room of The Rigs, a very depressed
little figure. It was one of those days