town by this time." They turned back and went
in. The Duke asked for the ladies. The Countess and her companion had
gone to drive in the park, but Lady Victoria was upstairs.

"Vick, I am going to have a man to dinner--of course we will all dine
together the first night ashore--a man you have heard me speak of; you
will like him amazingly."

"Who is he?"

"He is the uncle of the whole human race."

"Including the peerage?" laughed Lady Victoria.

"Peerage? I should think so. The whole of Debrett and the _Almanach de
Gotha_. Nobility and gentry, the Emperor of China and the North American
Indians."

"That will suit Miss Skeat. She is always talking about the North
American Indians. I think I know who it is."

"Of course you do, and now he is coming." There was a pause. "Vick, may
I smoke?"

"Oh yes, if you like." His Grace lit a cigarette.

"Vick, I am afraid you have had a dreadfully stupid time of it on this
trip. I am so sorry. Those people turned out rather differently from
what I had expected." The Duke was fond of his sister, though she was
much younger than he, and he began to reflect that she had been poorly
provided for, as he had engaged Barker most of their time.

"Not at all. You know I am so fond of the sea and the open air, and I
have enjoyed it all so much. Besides--"

"It is awfully good of you to say so, my dear, but I don't believe a
word of it. 'Besides'--you were going to say something."

"Was I? Oh yes. Besides, you could not have had another man, you know,
because it would have spoiled the table."

"No, but I was so selfish about Barker, because he can play cards, and
Claudius would not, or could not."

"I am not sorry for that, exactly," said Lady Victoria. "You remember,
we talked about him once. I do not like Mr. Barker very much."

"Oh, he is no end of a good fellow in his way," said her brother. "Have
you--a--any reason for not liking him, Vick?"

"I think he is spiteful. He says such horrid things."

"Does he? What about?" said the Duke indifferently, as he tore a bit of
charred paper from the end of his cigarette, which had burned badly. She
did not answer at first. He inspected the cigarette, puffed it into
active life again, and looked up.

"What about, Vick?"

"About his friend--about Doctor Claudius. I like Doctor Claudius." Lady
Victoria smoothed her rebellious brown hair at the huge over-gilt
pier-glass of the little drawing-room which she and Margaret had in
c