sin, you know," whispered Adelaide, to Lady
Baldock.

"If he were my own brother, or my grandmother, I should say the
same," continued the angry lord. "We must have a meeting about it,
and let the world know it,--that's all." At this moment the door was
again opened, and Madame Goesler entered the room.

When one wants to be natural, of necessity one becomes the reverse of
natural. A clever actor,--or more frequently a clever actress,--will
assume the appearance; but the very fact of the assumption renders
the reality impossible. Lady Chiltern was generally very clever in
the arrangement of all little social difficulties, and, had she
thought less about it, might probably have managed the present affair
in an easy and graceful manner. But the thing had weighed upon her
mind, and she had decided that it would be expedient that she should
say something when those two old friends first met each other again
in her drawing-room. "Madame Max," she said, "you remember Mr. Finn."
Lord Chiltern for a moment stopped the torrent of his abuse. Lord
Baldock made a little effort to look uninterested, but quite in vain.
Mr. Spooner stood on one side. Lady Baldock stared with all her
eyes,--with some feeling of instinct that there would be something to
see; and Gerard Maule, rising from the sofa, joined the circle. It
seemed as though Lady Chiltern's words had caused the formation of a
ring in the midst of which Phineas and Madame Goesler were to renew
their acquaintance.

"Very well indeed," said Madame Max, putting out her hand and looking
full into our hero's face with her sweetest smile. "And I hope Mr.
Finn will not have forgotten me." She did it admirably--so well that
surely she need not have thought of running away.

But poor Phineas was not happy. "I shall never forget you," said he;
and then that unavoidable blush suffused his face, and the blood
began to career through his veins.

"I am so glad you are in Parliament again," said Madame Max.

"Yes;--I've got in again, after a struggle. Are you still living in
Park Lane?"

"Oh, yes;--and shall be most happy to see you." Then she seated
herself,--as did also Lady Chiltern by her side. "I see the poor
Duke's iniquities are still under discussion. I hope Lord Chiltern
recognises the great happiness of having a grievance. It would be a
pity that so great a blessing should be thrown away upon him." For
the moment Madame Max had got through her difficulty, and, indeed,
had