came in late, in his usual
indifferently fitting morning clothes, snatching an hour from the House,
in the strongest contrast to the fair sumptuousness of his wife. He took
a vacant chair two places from Mina and nodded at her in a friendly way.
They were at a round table, and there were only a dozen there. The
easy-mannered youth told her all about them, including several things
which it is to be hoped were not true; he seemed to view them from an
altitude of good-humored contempt. Mina discovered afterward that he was
a cousin of Lady Flora's, and occupied a position in Messrs Coutts's
Bank. He chuckled once, remarking:

"Flora's talkin' to Tristram all the time, instead of bein' pleasant to
Tommy Hove. Fact is, she hates Tommy, and she'd be glad if the Chief
would give him the boot. But the Chief doesn't want to, because Tommy's
well in at Court and the Chief isn't."

"Why does Lady Flora hate Lord Hove? He's very handsome."

"Think so? Well, I see so many fellows like that, that I'm beginnin' to
hate 'em. Like the 'sweet girl,' don't you know? I hear the Chief thinks
Tristram'll train on."

"Do what?" asked Mina absently, looking across at Harry. Harry was quite
lively, and deep in conversation with his hostess.

"Well, they might put him in the House, and so on, you know. See that
woman next but three? That's Gertrude Melrose; spends more on clothes
than any woman in London, and she's only got nine hundred a year.
Queer?" He smiled as he consumed an almond.

"She must get into debt," said Mina, gazing at the clothes of
inexplicable origin.

"Gettin' in isn't the mystery," remarked the youth. "It's the gettin'
out, Madame--er--Zabriska." He had taken a swift glance at Mina's card.

Mina looked round. "Is it in this room they have the Councils?" she
asked.

"Cabinets? Don't know. Downstairs somewhere, I believe, anyhow." He
smothered a yawn. "Queer thing, that about Tristram, you know. If
everything was known, you know, I shouldn't wonder if a lot of other
fellows found themselves----"

He was interrupted, fortunately perhaps, in these speculations by a
question from his other neighbor. Mina was left alone for some minutes,
and set to work to observe the scene. She was tolerably at ease now; a
man was on each side of her, and in the end it was the women of whom she
was afraid. There would be a terrible time in the drawing-room, but she
determined not to think of that. Harry saw her sitting silent and smil