y--that you are half a Radical yourself."

Thereat, after a moment's pause, the lady laughed musically. Almost in
the darkness you could see her throwing back her head and laughing.
She had a noble contralto voice, with a rich mannish purr in it.

"You are mistaken, Elphinstone. But even so, my excellent brother, you
might understand it--if your estate lay in the west and ran with Miles
Chandon's."

Tilda's small body stiffened with a gasp, 'Miles Chandon'--the name had
sounded on her hearing distinct as the note of a bell. There was no
mistake: it hummed in her ears yet. Or was it the blood rushing to her
ears as she sat bolt upright in the darkness, listening, breathing hard?

Sir Elphinstone, for some reason, had not answered his sister. When at
length he spoke, it was in a changed tone, at once careless and more
affectionate.

"See anything of Chandon in these days?"

"Nothing at all; or--to put the same thing differently--just so much of
him as his tenants see. We were talking of tenantry. Miles Chandon
leaves everything to his steward. Now, between ourselves, all stewards,
land agents, bailiffs--whatever you choose to call 'em--are the curse of
our system, and Miles Chandon's happens to be the worst specimen."

"H'm," said Sir Elphinstone reflectively. "Poor devil!" he added, a few
moments later, and then--Miss Sally giving him no encouragement to
pursue the subject--"Ten minutes past seven--the car will be waiting.
What do you say to getting home for dinner?"

"If I may bring the Ham." Miss Sally laughed and pushed back her chair.
"Wait a minute--we will wrap it up in the poem. 'Exit Atalanta,
carrying her Ham in a newspaper'--how deliciously vulgar! Elphinstone,
you have always been the best of brothers; you are behaving
beautifully--and--and I never could resist shocking you; but we're pretty
fond of one another, eh?"

"I've consistently spoilt you, if that's what you mean," he grumbled.

They were leaving the platform. Tilda whispered to the boy to take hold
of 'Dolph.

"And I'm goin' to leave yer for a bit." She edged past him on hands and
knees towards the vallance draperies. "You 'eard what she said?
Well, keep quiet 'ere an' don't be frightened. If Sam comes, tell 'im
I'll be back in five minutes."

She dived out beneath the vallance, caught a glimpse of Miss Sally and
Sir Elphinstone making their way at a brisk pace through the crowd, and
hurried up the slope in pursuit. It w