settled herself in her chair
with an air of mockery, while her eyes and mouth were bright and
eloquent with a spirit which her husband did not love to see. Poor
girl! There was seriousness enough in store for her before she would
be able to leave the room.

"You ought to be serious. Do you know why Mrs Marsham came here from
Lady Monk's last night?"

"Of course I do. She came to tell you that I was waltzing with Burgo
Fitzgerald. You might as well ask me whether I knew why Mr Bott was
standing at all the doors, glaring at me."

"I don't know anything about Mr Bott."

"I know something about him though," she said, again moving herself
in her chair.

"I am speaking now of Mrs Marsham."

"You should speak of them both together as they hunt in couples."

"Glencora, will you listen to me, or will you not? If you say that
you will not, I shall know what to do."

"I don't think you would, Plantagenet." And she nodded her little
head at him, as she spoke. "I'm sure I don't know what you would do.
But I will listen to you. Only, as I said before, it will be very
nice when it's over."

"Mrs Marsham came here, not simply to tell me that you were waltzing
with Mr Fitzgerald,--and I wish that when you mention his name you
would call him Mr Fitzgerald."

"So I do."

"You generally prefix his Christian name, which it would be much
better that you should omit."

"I will try," she said, very gently; "but it's hard to drop an old
habit. Before you married me you knew that I had learned to call him
Burgo."

"Let me go on," said Mr Palliser.

"Oh, certainly."

"It was not simply to tell me that you were waltzing that Mrs Marsham
came here."

"And it was not simply to see me waltzing that Mr Bott stood in the
doorways, for he followed me about, and came down after me to the
supper-room."

"Glencora, will you oblige me by not speaking of Mr Bott?"

"I wish you would oblige me by not speaking of Mrs Marsham." Mr
Palliser rose quickly from his chair with a gesture of anger, stood
upright for half a minute, and then sat down again. "I beg your
pardon, Plantagenet," she said. "I think I know what you want, and
I'll hold my tongue till you bid me speak."

"Mrs Marsham came here because she saw that every one in the room was
regarding you with wonder." Lady Glencora twisted herself about in
her chair, but she said nothing. "She saw that you were not only
dancing with Mr Fitzgerald, but that you were dancing with him,--