e years ago. Mr. Desborough never
seemed to hanker much after his English relatives as long as I knew him,
but now that I and Sadie are over here, why we guessed we might look 'em
up and sort of sample 'em! 'Desborough' 's rather a good name," added
the lady, with a complacency that, however, had a suggestion of query in
it.

"Yes," said the consul; "from the French, I fancy."

"Mr. Desborough was English--very English," corrected the lady.

"I mean it may be an old Norman name," said the consul.

"Norman's good enough for ME," said the daughter, reflecting. "We'll
just settle it as Norman. I never thought about that DES."

"Only you may find it called 'Debborough' here, and spelt so," said the
consul, smiling.

Miss Desborough lifted her pretty shoulders and made a charming grimace.
"Then we won't acknowledge 'em. No Debborough for me!"

"You might put an advertisement in the papers, like the 'next of
kin' notice, intimating, in the regular way, that they would 'hear of
something to their advantage'--as they certainly would," continued the
consul, with a bow. "It would be such a refreshing change to the kind
of thing I'm accustomed to, don't you know--this idea of one of my
countrywomen coming over just to benefit English relatives! By Jove! I
wouldn't mind undertaking the whole thing for you--it's such a novelty."
He was quite carried away with the idea.

But the two ladies were far from participating in this joyous outlook.
"No," said Mrs. Desborough promptly, "that wouldn't do. You see," she
went on with superb frankness, "that would be just giving ourselves
away, and saying who WE were before we found out what THEY were like.
Mr. Desborough was all right in HIS way, but we don't know anything
about his FOLKS! We ain't here on a mission to improve the Desboroughs,
nor to gather in any 'lost tribes.'"

It was evident that, in spite of the humor of the situation and the
levity of the ladies, there was a characteristic national practicalness
about them, and the consul, with a sigh, at last gave the address of one
or two responsible experts in genealogical inquiry, as he had often
done before. He felt it was impossible to offer any advice to ladies
as thoroughly capable of managing their own affairs as his fair
countrywomen, yet he was not without some curiosity to know the result
of their practical sentimental quest. That he should ever hear of them
again he doubted. He knew that after their first loneliness