ect.

"Gore," she said shortly--"Gore. Sir Walter Gore."

"Gore!" Milbanke repeated the name as though it pleased him. "A fine
young fellow! Very unlike the majority of young men of the present
day."

Clodagh said nothing.

"Don't you agree with me, my dear?"

As if by an effort, she recalled her wandering gaze, turned her head
slowly, and looked at her husband.

"He--he certainly seems unlike other people," she admitted in a low
voice.

After this rejoinder there was silence. Clodagh, her brows drawn
together in a perplexed frown, relapsed into her former absorbed
contemplation; while Milbanke, having changed his position once or
twice, shook out the sheets of his newspaper and buried himself in the
lengthy report of a scientific meeting.

But scarcely had he reached the end of his first paragraph, than a
large shadow fell across the page, and, looking up quickly, he saw the
ponderous figure of Mr. Angelo Tomes.

At the sight of his hero he started, coloured with pleasure, and rose
hastily.

"Mr. Tomes!" he exclaimed. "Clodagh, my dear, here is Mr. Tomes!"

Clodagh turned without enthusiasm, and looked at the loose figure and
unkempt hair of the scientist.

"I do not think you and my--my wife have met, Mr. Tomes!" Milbanke
broke in with a nervous attempt at geniality.

Mr. Tomes bowed.

"No; but I have many times seen Mrs. Milbanke," he said ponderously.

Clodagh bent her head, noting with the fastidious intolerance of youth
that his clothes were baggy and his hands unclean.

Milbanke gave a nervous, conciliatory laugh.

"I--I have noticed that great men are always observant," he said
jocularly.

Mr. Tomes smiled.

"That is scarcely a compliment to Mrs. Milbanke," he interposed
consciously.

Clodagh looked up and met his eyes.

"I don't wish to be paid compliments, Mr. Tomes," she said. "Please
don't try to think of any. Did you come to take my husband out?"

Mr. Tomes stammered, visibly crestfallen.

"Well," he began, "there is a certain archway in one of the smaller
churches, which I think Mr. Milbanke ought to see. But as an archway is
not too weighty for a lady's consideration, it struck me--it occurred
to me----"

But Clodagh cut him short.

"Oh, Mr. Tomes, I'm much too frivolous even for archways. Don't take me
into your calculations; I should only spoil them. Of course it's very
kind of you," she added with tardy remorse, "but the experiment would
be a failure. Ask my husband-