e bell, but Brooks stopped him.

"Nothing at all, thank you, just now."

"Luncheon will be served in half-an-hour," the Marquis said. "You will
prefer to wait until then?"

"I am much obliged to you," Brooks answered, "but I must be getting back
to Medchester as soon as possible. Besides," he added, with a smile, "I
am afraid when I have spoken of the object of my visit you may feel
inclined to kick me out."

"I hope not," Arranmore replied, lightly. "I was hoping that your visit
had no object at all, and that you had been good enough just to look me
up.

"I should not have intruded without a purpose," Brooks said, quietly,
"but you will be almost justified in treating my visit as an
impertinence when I have disclosed my errand. Lord Arranmore, I am the
secretary for the fund which is being raised in Medchester for the
relief of the Unemployed."

Arranmore nodded.

"Oh, yes," he said. "I had a visit a few days ago from a worthy
Medchester gentleman connected with it."

"It is concerning that visit, Lord Arranmore, that I have come to see
you," Brooks continued, quietly. "I only heard of it yesterday
afternoon, but this morning it seems to me that every one whom I have
met has alluded to it."

The Marquis was lounging against the broad mantelpiece. Some part of
the cordiality of his manner had vanished.

"Well?"

"Lord Arranmore, I wondered whether it was not possible that some
mistake had been made," Brooks said. "I wondered whether Mr. Wensome
had altogether understood you properly--"

"I did my best to be explicit," the Marquis murmured.

"Or whether you had misunderstood him," Brooks continued, doggedly.
"This fund has become absolutely necessary unless we wish to see the
people starve in the streets. There are between six and seven thousand
operatives and artisans in Medchester to-day who are without work
through no fault of their own. It is our duty as citizens to do our
best for them. Nearly every one in Medchester has contributed according
to their means. You are a large property-owner in the town. Cannot you
consider this appeal as an unenforced rate? It comes to that in the
long run."

The Marquis shrugged his shoulders.

"I think," he said, "that on the subject of charity Englishmen generally
wholly misapprehend the situation. You say that between six and seven
thousand men are out of work in Medchester. Very well, I affirm that
there must be a cause for that. If you are a philanthropist