be guilty of the
folly of changing old habits. Silverbridge, being Silverbridge to
all his own people, hardly seemed to have a Christian name;--his
godfathers and godmothers had indeed called him Plantagenet;--but
having only become acquainted with the family since his Oxford days
he was Lord Silverbridge to Lady Mabel. Lady Mabel had not as yet
become Mabel to him, but, as by her very intimate friends she was
called Mab, had allowed herself to be addressed by him as Lady Mab.
There was thus between them all considerable intimacy.

"I'm deuced glad to hear it," said the Earl when dinner was
announced. For, though he could not eat much, Lord Grex was always
impatient when the time of eating was at hand. Then he walked down
alone. Lord Silverbridge followed with his daughter, and Frank
Tregear gave his arm to Miss Cassewary. "If that woman can't clear
her soup better than that, she might as well go to the d----,"
said the Earl;--upon which remark no one in the company made any
observation. As there were two men-servants in the room when it was
made the cook probably had the advantage of it. It may be almost
unnecessary to add that though the Earl had polished manners for
certain occasions he would sometimes throw them off in the bosom of
his own family.

"My Lord," said Miss Cassewary--she always called him "My
Lord"--"Lord Silverbridge is going to stand for the Duke's borough in
the Conservative interest."

"I didn't know the Duke had a borough," said the Earl.

"He had one till he thought it proper to give it up," said the son,
taking his father's part.

"And you are going to pay him off for what he has done by standing
against him. It's just the sort of thing for a son to do in these
days. If I had a borough Percival would go down and make radical
speeches there."

"There isn't a better Conservative in England than Percival," said
Lady Mabel, bridling up.

"Nor a worse son," said the father. "I believe he would do anything
he could lay his hand on to oppose me." During the past week there
had been some little difference of opinion between the father and the
son as to the signing of a deed.

"My father does not take it in bad part at all," said Silverbridge.

"Perhaps he's ratting himself," said the Earl. "When a man lends
himself to a coalition he is as good as half gone."

"I do not think that in all England there is so thorough a Liberal as
my father," said Lord Silverbridge. "And when I say that he do