rect an
intervention in her personal affairs as was now being discovered, and
she felt that her pearl was melting in the fierce solvent of Judith's
interest and curiosity.

"I know it's a bore about his religion, and his politics are
_more_ than shaky, but you know, in a way, it's rather lucky, in
view of the mess Papa's got everything into, to have someone on that
side," went on Judith, who was far too practical to be influenced by
that malign Spirit of the Nation who had so persistently endeavoured
to establish herself as one of the family at Mount Music. "All I'm
afraid of is that Papa may begin to beat the Protestant drum and wave
the Union Jack! Such nonsense! The main thing is that Larry himself is
quite all right!"

"I'm sure he would be gratified by your approval!" Judith's patronage
was somewhat galling; Judith, who was quite pleased with Bill
Kirby!--Good, excellent Bill, but still! Christian's colour betrayed
her, and she knew it, and knowing also the remorseless cross-examination
that the betrayal would immediately provoke, she decided to anticipate
it.

"As a matter of fact," she went on, "he--we--" she hated the crudity
of the statement.

"You're engaged!" swooped Judith, with the speed of a hawk. "Excellent
girl!"

Christian found the commendation offensive.

"I assure you it's quite without either political or religious bias!"
she said defiantly. She had failed to keep her secret, but she went
down with her flags flying.

CHAPTER XXIX

Barty Mangan fulfilled his father's behests, and on Saturday, he drove
his mother to Coppinger's Court.

He drove a motor well; not brilliantly, like Larry, because Barty did
nothing brilliantly, but capably and gently, with consideration for
donkey-carts, with respect for horses, with kindness towards
pedestrians, even without animosity towards cur-dogs. The surprising
aspect of the fact was that he should be able, in any degree, to
handle a car, the control of energy being an effort foreign to his
nature. What in his mother was laziness, was with him transmuted to
languor; his father's vigour and decision became in Barty a sort of
tepid obstinacy, and the Doctor's fierce and fighting allegiance to
his Church reappeared in his son as a peevish conscientiousness, that
had provoked a friend of the family to say: "Barty's a dam' bad
solicitor! He'll take up no case but what pleases him, and he'll touch
nothing if he thinks he'll make money out of it!"