ich surrounded her
with an atmosphere of adorations, admirations, enmities--all equally
violent and irrational. Her wit had little to do with the making of her
enemies, because it was never used in offence against friends or even
harmless acquaintances; only against her foes she employed it with the
efficiency and mercilessness of a red Indian wielding the tomahawk.

The other family where she found her niche awaiting her was of a
different order. It was that of the retired Indian judge, Sir John
Ireton, whose wife had chaperoned her through a Commemoration the summer
she had taken her First in Greats. Ireton was not only in Parliament,
but his house was a meeting-place where politicians cemented personal
ties and plotted party moves. Milly in her brief appearances, had been
of use to Lady Ireton, but Mildred proved socially invaluable. There
were serious persons who suspected Mrs. Stewart of approaching politics
in a flippant spirit; but on certain days she had revealed a grave and
ardent belief in the dogmas of the party and a piety of attitude towards
the person of its great apostle, which had convinced them that she was
not really cynical or frivolous.

Lady Augusta Goring was the most important conquest of the kind Milly
had made. She was the only child of the Marquis of Ipswich, and one of
those rather stupid people whose energy of mind and character is often
mistaken by themselves and others for cleverness. Lady Augusta was
handsome in a dull, massive way, and so conscientious that she had
seldom time to smile. Her friends said she would smile oftener if her
husband caused her less anxiety; but considering who George Goring was
and how he had been brought up, he might have been much worse. Where
women were concerned, scandal had never accused him of anything more
flagrant than dubious flirtations. It was his political intrigues,
constantly threatening unholy _liaisons_ in the most unthinkable
directions; his sudden fits of obstinate idleness, often occurring at
the very moment when some clever and promising political scheme of his
own was ripe for execution, which so unendurably harassed the staid
Marquis and the earnest Lady Augusta. They were highly irritating, too,
to Sir John Ireton, who had believed himself at one time able to tame
and tutor the tricksy young politician.

The late Lord Ipswich had been a "sport" in the Barthop family; a black
sheep, but clever, and a well known collector. Accidental circum