l
ingenuousness which accompanied and seemed to mitigate this ungracious
speech, and the consul was greatly amused, albeit conscious that it was
only an attitude, and perhaps somewhat worn in sentiment. He knew that
during the war of the rebellion, and directly after it, Great Britain
was the resort of certain Americans from the West as well as from
the South who sought social distinction by the affectation of
dissatisfaction with their own government or the ostentatious simulation
of enforced exile; but he was quite unprepared for this senseless
protraction of dead and gone issues. He ventured to point out with
good-humored practicality that several years had elapsed since the war,
that the South and North were honorably reconciled, and that he was
legally supposed to represent Kentucky as well as New York. "Your
friends," he added smilingly, "Mr. Custer and Mr. McHulish, seemed to
accept the fact without any posthumous sentiment."

"I don't go much on that," she said with a laugh. "I've been living
in Paris till maw--who's lying down upstairs--came over and brought me
across to England for a look around. And I reckon Malcolm's got to keep
touch with you on account of his property."

The consul smiled. "Ah, then, I hope you can tell me something about
THAT, for I really don't know whether he has established his claim or
not."

"Why," returned the girl with naive astonishment, "that was just what I
was going to ask YOU. He reckoned you'd know all about it."

"I haven't heard anything of the claim for two months," said the
consul; "but from your reference to him as 'Sir Malcolm,' I presumed you
considered it settled. Though, of course, even then he wouldn't be 'Sir
Malcolm,' and you might have meant somebody else."

"Well, then, Lord Malcolm--I can't get the hang of those titles yet."

"Neither 'Lord' nor 'Sir'; you know the estate carries no title whatever
with it," said the consul smilingly.

"But wouldn't he be the laird of something or other, you know?"

"Yes; but that is only a Scotch description, not a title. It's not the
same as Lord."

The young girl looked at him with undisguised astonishment. A half laugh
twitched the corners of her mouth. "Are you sure?" she said.

"Perfectly," returned the consul, a little impatiently; "but do I
understand that you really know nothing more of the progress of the
claim?"

Miss Kirkby, still abstracted by some humorous astonishment, said
quickly: "Wait a minute. I