her mind. Those horrid words which Guss Mildmay had
said to her,--as to all being fish for his net,--had no effect of that
nature. She assured herself that she knew herself too well to allow
anything of that kind to influence her. That she, Lady George Germain,
the daughter of the Dean of Brotherton, a married woman, should be
afraid of any man, afraid of any too close intimacy! The idea was
horrible and disgusting to her. So that when Jack proposed to join her
and her father in the park on the next afternoon, she said that she
would be delighted; and when he told her absurd stories of his
regimental duties, and described his brother officers who probably did
not exist as described by him, and then went on to hunting legends in
Buckinghamshire, she laughed at everything he said and was very merry.
"Don't you like Jack?" Mrs. Houghton said to her in the drawing-room.

"Yes, I do; very much. He's just what Jack ought to be."

"I don't know about that. I suppose Jack ought to go to church twice on
Sundays, and give half what he has to the poor, just as well as John."

"Perhaps he does. But Jack is bound to be amusing, while John need not
have a word to say for himself."

"You know he's my pet friend. We are almost like brother and sister,
and therefore I need not be afraid of him."

"Afraid of him! Why should anybody be afraid of him?"

"I am sure you needn't. But Jack has done mischief in his time. Perhaps
he's not the sort of man that would ever touch your fancy." Again Lady
George blushed, but on this occasion she had nothing to say. She did
not want to quarrel with Mrs. Houghton, and the suggestion that she
could possibly love any other man than her husband had not now been
made in so undisguised a manner as before.

"I thought he was engaged to Miss Mildmay," said Lady George.

"Oh, dear no; nothing of the kind. It is impossible, as neither of them
has anything to speak of. When does Lord George come back?"

"To-morrow."

"Mind that he comes to see me soon. I do so long to hear what he'll say
about his new sister-in-law. I had made up my mind that I should have
to koto to you before long as a real live marchioness."

"You'll never have to do that."

"Not if this child is a real Lord Popenjoy. But I have my hopes still,
my dear."

Soon after that Hetta Houghton reverted to the all important subject.

"You have found out that what I told you was true, Lady George."

"Oh yes,--all true."

"I wonder wh