he
prettiest miss in London. That's quite true, but I vow it's the girls'
own fault! They should stand on their dignity--snub the creatures
more! In my young days--"

[Illustration: LADY TRANMORE AND MARY LYSTER]

"Ah, there wasn't a glut of us then," said Mary, calmly. "Listen!"--she
held up her hand.

"Yes," said Lady Tranmore, springing up. "There he is."

She stood waiting. The door flew open, and in came a tall young man.

"William, how late you are!" said Lady Tranmore, as she flew into his
arms.

"Well, mother, are you pleased?"

Her son held her at arm's-length, smiling kindly upon her.

"Of course I am," said Lady Tranmore. "And you--are you horribly tired?"

"Not a bit. Ah, Mary!--how do you do?"

Miss Lyster had risen, and the cousins shook hands.

"But I don't deny it's very jolly to come back--out of all that beastly
scrimmage," said the new member, as he threw himself into an arm-chair
by the fire with his hands behind his head, while Lady Tranmore prepared
him a cup of tea.

"I expect you've enjoyed it," said Miss Lyster, also moving towards the
fire.

"Well, when you're in it there's a certain excitement in wondering how
you're going to come out of it! But one might say that, of course, of
the infernal regions."

"Not quite," said Mary Lyster, smiling demurely.

"Polly! you <i>are</i> a Tory. Everybody else's hell has moved--but yours!
Thank you, mother," as Lady Tranmore gave him tea. Then, stretching out
his great frame in lazy satisfaction, he turned his brown eyes from one
lady to the other. "I say, mother, I haven't seen anything as
good-looking as you--or Polly there, if she'll forgive me--for weeks."

"Hold your tongue, goose," said his mother, as she replenished the
teapot. "What--there were no pretty girls--not one?"

"Well, they didn't come my way," said William, contentedly munching at
bread-and-butter. "I have gone through all the usual humbug--and
perjured my soul in all the usual ways--without any consolation worth
speaking of."

"Don't talk nonsense, sir," said Lady Tranmore. "You know you like
speaking--and you like compliments--and you've had plenty of both."

"You didn't read me, mother!"

"Didn't I?" she said, smiling. He groaned, and took another piece of
tea-cake.

"My own family at least, don't you think, might omit that?"

"H'm, sir--So you didn't believe a word of your own speeches?" said Lady
Tranmore, as she stood behind him and smoothed his hair bac