eally bear fewer outward traces of
utter imbecility now."

"I don't wish to be harsh with you, my dears--never have been harsh, to
my knowledge, with any one of my children. Believe in kindness. Always
have been lenient with my children----"

"And as indirect consequence thereof note my eldest brother's frequent
epistles to the Hebrews!" commented Mr. Quayle softly. "The sweet
simplicity of this counterfeit presentment of him, armed with a
pea-green bait-tin and jointless fishing-rod, hardly shadows forth the
copious insolvencies of recent times!"

"Never have approved of harshness," continued Lord Fallowfeild. "Still
I do feel I should have been given an opportunity of speaking my mind
sooner. I ought to have been referred to in the first place. It was my
right. It was due to me. I don't wish to assert my authority in a
tyrannical manner. Hate tyranny, always have hated parental tyranny.
Still I feel that it was due to me. And Shotover quite agrees with me.
Talked in a very nice, gentlemanly, high-minded way about it all this
morning, did Shotover."

The two ladies exchanged glances, drawing themselves up with an
assumption of reticence and severity.

"Really!" exclaimed Lady Alicia. "It seems a pity, papa, that
Shotover's actions are not a little more in keeping with his
conversation, then."

But Lord Fallowfeild only grasped the head of his walking-stick the
tighter, congratulating himself the while on the unshakable firmness
both of his mental and physical attitude.

"Oh! ah! yes," he said, rising to heights of quite reckless defiance.
"I know there is a great deal of prejudice against Shotover, just now,
among you. He alluded to it this morning with a great deal of feeling.
He was not bitter, but he is very much hurt, is Shotover. You are hard
on him, Alicia. It is a painful thing to observe upon, but you are
hard, and so is Winterbotham. I regret to be obliged to put it so
plainly, but I was displeased by Winterbotham's tone about your
brother, last time you and he were down at Whitney from Saturday to
Monday."

"At all events, papa, George has never cost his parents a single penny
since he left Balliol," Lady Alicia replied, with some spirit and a
very high colour.

But Lord Fallowfeild was not to be beguiled into discussion of side
issues, though his amiable face was crumpled and puckered by the effort
to present an uncompromising front to the enemy.

"Some of you ought to have written and informed