met the doctor, who spontaneously gave me the whole history. Helen was the one."

"I daresay she asked him."

"I daresay she did. But the doctor's tale was that they were all invited, but none of the others would accept. girl, at any rate, declined."

"What a thumper!"

"Of course.

His

Smith knows better than to ask her a

spotty-faced thing, like a ferret !"

"Well done, Helen !" ejaculated Philip.

"Well done,

fair Helen! brave Helen! I couldn't have believed it, even of Helen!"

"But mind you don't let it out to Milly."

"Who? I? What should I let it out for? However, if it comes to anything, she will hear of it fast enough." "Yes, I suppose so. But then it may not come to anything, and there would be no harm done."

"Do you think it will?”

"How can I tell? You know them; I don't." Philip winced.

"You would know them too, Sauffren

den, if it were not for your wife."

"Of course I should, my dear fellow; I'm not saying anything as to that. Bachelors know lots of girls they couldn't if they had wives."

"But after all, you know, it is not worse than numbers of others.

but fair to say they are They don't manage to keep it dark, as some do; but in reality they are not half as bad as they're made out. I must say I think it's rather a shame of some people- Here he stopped suddenly, remembering that Lady Sauffrenden was one of the people he was referring to.

66

'Well, I think it is. But, you see, bottom of it," said her husband, frankly. sharp on girls; and, of course, she would about Smith."

Milly's at the "She's rather not like that

Philip was silent. He did know, and he could not deny it it chafed him. Sauffrenden, who would know people in spite of everybody, who had introduced him to many an acquaintance he would fain have avoided, had one elevation on which he took his stand superior-and that ground was the Tolletons.

He knew that Sauffrenden longed after the Tolletons.

He knew that all the time he plumed himself on abstaining from intercourse with them, it was because he felt this to be the only compensation for their loss. And when he had called on Mr Smith, on purpose to please his friend, he did feel it to be rather hard that it was through Mr Smith the naughty girls were now in fresh disgrace.

Therefore he was silent.

By the time they had come under the drawing-room windows again, however, he had thought of something to

"Take care," interrupted Sauffrenden quickly, and glancing up at the windows; "don't say the name so loud. Can't you say the T's, and then no one will know who it is?"

"What does it signify?"

"Why, you see," with a little of the guilty air himself, "she's always catching me at it. I don't know how it is, but as surely as I happen to say a word about them-the -the T's, you know-a bird in the air carries it all over the place. So, of course, she thinks I'm always at it. There now, you see." For at this moment out stepped Lady Sauffrenden from the conservatory-a bunch of flowers in one hand, and a pair of garden scissors in the other.

"Well, dear," said her husband, accosting her rather anxiously, "who are these for? Not me, I know; you never give me bouquets now."

"You get one nearly every day," retorted the little lady, good-humouredly. "And you don't deserve them for telling such stories. These are for the drawing-room." Then to Captain Wellwood-" Have you any engagement for Friday?"

No, he had none for any day.

"What's Friday, Milly?" Her husband arrested the invitation.

"Mr Smith is coming to dinner, and the Fultons, and one or two others. I hope Captain Wellwood will come too?"

"Will you come, Philip?”

"Certainly I will come; I always come when Lady Sauffrenden asks me."

"And bring Jumper?"

"Jumper will be very happy."

"I daresay Smith would drive you over if he knew." "Oh, why should he?"

"Save the Buck. But, of course, four miles is nothing to him."

"I like the walk, if it's fine. I shan't take the Buck." Lady Sauffrenden pressed her husband's arm, and no more was said.

"He did not like your suggestion of Mr Smith's driving him," said she, as soon as they were alone.

"Why should he dislike it? I would do it myself." 66 Yes, you; but Philip is different." She always called Philip" when they were by themselves.

him "

I

"How is he different? I don't see the difference. thought it would be a convenience to him, as he has only one horse at present."

"That's it; if he had half our horses he wouldn't mind."

"My dear child, what nonsense you talk! If he had half our horses, why should he care to save them? If he had even his usual two, it wouldn't matter so much; but he is saving Buck up till after Christmas. I know that is why he won't go out with the hounds now. He'll have his other one then; but he doesn't want the old fellow knocked up. I knew he would be glad to save him; that was why I thought of Smith."

"You silly boy," began she, laughing; "that was just why he didn't like it. He didn't like the idea of saving himself at Mr Smith's expense. Poor men are a great deal more particular about such matters than rich ones. I quite agree with him."

66

Oh, don't you teach me, Mill. I know fellows who would sponge on anybody for the sake of saving their pockets a shilling."

"It is not because they are poor, then, but because they are mean."

"They are poor too. Being poor makes them mean.”

66

No, no, it isn't so, Sauffrenden," cried she, warmly ; "that isn't the reason at all. It has nothing to do with their being poor. Mean people will be mean, if they were as rich as Croesus; but if they are not mean-minded, they will take more care about not appearing so when they

are poor, than they would if they were rich. I should, I

"Lady Sauffrenden's decision," said her husband, waving his hands gracefully, "will always be mine. The pattern. husband, Robert Frederick, Baron Sauffrenden."

The lady coloured, and withdrew her hand.

"Now don't be cross, you stupid darling," cried he, catching her round the waist. "I'll kiss you before all the

windows, if you don't behave yourself."

66 Oh, Sauffrenden, do take care! How can you? You don't know who may be looking out. How can you go on so?"

"I didn't do it," said Sauffrenden, making a grimace at the windows; "but I will, unless she's good. Is she good now?"

"Perfectly good; good as gold. But just one thing, dear, do listen for a moment; I wish you would be a little more particular in what you say to Philip sometimes. I think you hurt him without knowing it."

"Hurt Philip!"

"You see he is terribly proud."

I never

Philip proud? That he is not, I'm sure. found him so. I should say there wasn't a bit of pride about him. He is as good a fellow as ever lived."

"That's the way a man judges. As if he would be proud with you! He's too fond of you."

"But he isn't proud to anybody. I see him with the grooms and people."

"As if he would show it to them, either!"

"Then who on earth is he to show it to?"

"He doesn't show it, as you say, to anybody, Sauffrenden, but he feels it. I should say he was the proudest man

I had ever met."

My dear child!"

In his amazement he dropped her hand from his arm. "Why, Milly, he goes to the Tolletons'!"

"That says nothing."

"You know it says a great deal. Hardly anybody goes to them now, and you won't hear of having them here. I'm sure I should have no objection, poor things, but I always thought you made such a point of it."

"So I do," replied the lady, calmly. "I don't wish to

know the Miss Tolletons at all, and I don't fancy Philip would either, if

"If what!"

"If he did not admire Helen."

"There, Milly, now you are wrong. He no more admires Helen than I do. That shows how little you know about it. I could prove it to you, if I chose" (thinking of Mr Smith). "He only goes because he has nothing else to do with himself. He must have company of some sort, and he can't be always here. I should do the same in his place."

There was no doubt of this, and Sauffrenden might feel that he had defended his absent friend with both truth and spirit.

CHAPTER VI.

THE TEA-PARTY.

FROM the foregoing chapter it will be seen that Lady Sauffrenden was perhaps possessed of rather more insight into character than her husband. Captain Wellwood had not been exactly hurt, but he had been rather amazed by Sauffrenden's suggestion. Mr Smith seemed to be always coming in his way. He had not gone half a mile, before he saw him on the road in front.

"He is going to the Tolletons'!" was the instantaneous conviction. Thereupon Philip quickened his pace, and Mr Smith, being rather a steady than a swift walker, was soon overtaken.

It needed but a few preliminaries on the part of each gentleman to discover that Mr Smith was going to the Tolletons', upon which Captain Wellwood immediately found out that such was his own destination likewise. Having dined there the night before, he believed he ought to call. Mr Smith was all complaisance, and they walked forward briskly.

Mr Smith had made himself very nice to go to the Tolletons'. He wore a dark coat over light grey trousers, a half