e to an agony of shame and despite.

"Do me the honour to drink a glass of champagne; the champagne to Miss
Coventry!" shouted Sir Guy; "you must require it after your exertion.
Egad! my team won't get over it in a hurry--the roads were woolly and
the time short--hey, Miss Kate? But d----n me if the whipcord was
scarce. I've done that seven miles in all weathers, and a sweet seven
miles it is, but I never came anything like the pace we did to-day.
Your good health, Miss Kate; I'll have a fresh team put together for
you to-morrow, and a better cigar to smoke than the one I gave you
to-day."

I could willingly have sunk into the earth--nay, crept under the
table-cloth--anything to hide my dishonoured head. The ladies looked
at each other aghast, and then at _me_. The gentlemen, even the
stiffest of them, turned boldly round to survey such a phenomenon as
the tobacco-smoking, four-in-hand Miss Coventry. Mrs. Lumley showered
her long ringlets all over her face with one toss of her pretty little
head that I might not see how heartily she was laughing. Lady
Scapegrace good-naturedly made an immense clatter with something that
was handed to her, to distract attention from my unfortunate self; but
I believe I must have got up and left the room had not Cousin John
come adroitly to the rescue. He had not been studying the daily paper
for nothing, and his voice rose loud and clear through the awful
silence that succeeded Sir Guy's polished remarks.

"Did you see that article in to-day's _Times_ about Ministers?" asked
John, of the public in general; "there's another split in the
Cabinet--this time it's on the malt-tax. To-day, in the City, they
were betting five to two there's a general election within a
fortnight, and taking two to one Ambidexter is Premier before the
first of next month."

John! John! if you had saved my life I could not have been more
obliged to you. Many of the present party were members of
Parliament--all were deep in politics. Most of them had seen the
Times, but none, like John, had the earliest intelligence from the
City. I have since had reason to believe he invented every syllable of
it. However, such a topic was too engrossing not to swamp every other,
and no more allusions were made to my unfortunate escapade till Lady
Scapegrace had drawn on her gloves, bent her haughty head, and "made
the move," at which we all sailed away to tea and coffee in the
drawing-room.

Here I was more at my ease. Lad