said it half laughing, but
her view of the reality of the dilemma was apparent in her letting the
subject drop.

Farnborough, standing there tea-cup in hand, joined again in the
discussion that was going on about some unnamed politician of the day,
with whose character and destiny the future of England might quite
conceivably be involved.

Before a great while this unnamed person would be succeeding his ailing
and childless brother. There were lamentations in prospect of his too
early translation to the Upper House.

The older men had been speaking of his family, in which the tradition of
public service, generations old, had been revived in the person of this
younger son.

'I have never understood,' Lord John was saying, 'how a man with such
opportunities hasn't done more.'

'A man as able, too,' said Borrodaile, lazily. 'Think of the tribute he
wrung out of Gladstone at the very beginning of his career. Whatever we
may think of the old fox, Gladstone had an eye for men.'

'Be _quiet_, will you!' Lady Sophia administered a little whack to the
Bedlington. 'Sh! Joey! don't you hear they're talking about our cousin?'

'Who?' said Filey, bending over the lady with a peace-offering of cake.

'Why, Geoffrey Stonor,' answered Sophia.

'_Is_ it Stonor they mean?'

'Well, of course.'

'How do you know?' demanded Filey, in the pause.

'Oh, wherever there are two or three gathered together talking politics
and "the coming man"--who has such a frightful lot in him that very
little ever comes out--it's sure to be Geoffrey Stonor they mean, isn't
it, Joey?'

'Perhaps,' said her father, dryly, 'you'll just mention that to him at
dinner to-night.'

'_What!_' said Farnborough, with a keen look in his eyes. 'You don't
mean he's coming here!'

Sophia, too, had looked round at her host with frank interest.

'Comin' to play golf?'

'Well, he mayn't get here in time for a round to-night, but we're rather
expecting him by this four-thirty.'

'What fun!' Lady Sophia's long face had brightened.

'May I stay over till the next train?' Farnborough was whispering to
Lady John as he went round to her on the pretext of more cream. 'Thank
you--then I won't go till the six forty-two.'

'I didn't know,' Lady Sophia was observing in her somewhat crude way,
'that you knew Geoffrey as well as all that.'

'We don't,' said Lord John. 'He's been saying for years he wanted to
come down and try our links, but it's by a fluke that he