at admiring this dawning
cleverness. He noticed for the first time that her taste in dress was
striking and perfect, as far as he could judge.

"'Then' says I, 'Mr. Vandervelt,' says I, 'there's only wan thing to be
done, wan thing to be done,' says I. 'Arthur and the Senator and Doyle
Grahame and Monsignor must tell Mr. Sullivan along wid Mr. Birmingham
that you should go to England this year. 'Oh,' said he, 'if you can get
such influence to work, nothing will stop me but the ill-will of the
President.' 'And even there,' said I, 'it will be paving the way for the
next time, if you make a good showing this time.' 'You see very far and
well,' said he. That settled it. I've been dinin' and lunching with the
Vandervelts ever since. You know yourself, Monsignor, how I started
every notable man in town to tell Mr. Sullivan that Vandervelt must go
to England. We failed, but it was the President did it; but he gave Mr.
Vandervelt his choice of any other first-class mission. Then next, along
came the old Countess of Skibbereen, and she was on the hands of the
Vandervelts with her scheme of getting knitting-machines for the poor
people of Galway. She wasn't getting on a bit, for she was old and queer
in her ways, and the Vandervelts were worried over it. Then I said: 'why
not get up a concert, and have Honora sing and let Tammany take up one
end and society the other, and send home the Countess with ten thousand
dollars?' My dear, they jumped at it, and the Countess jumped at me.
Will you ever forget it, Monsignor dear, the night that Honora sang as
the Genius of Erin? If that girl could only get over her craziness for
Ireland and her father--but that's not what I was talking about. Well,
the Countess has her ten thousand dollars, and says I'm the best-dressed
woman in New York. So, that's the way I come to dine with the
Vandervelts at the farewell dinner to the Countess, and when it comes
off New York will be ringing with the name of Mrs. Montgomery Dillon."

"Is that the present name?" said Monsignor. "Anne, if you go to Ireland
you'll return with a title. Your son should be proud of you."

"I'll give him better reason before I'm done, Monsignor."

The prelate rose to go, then hesitated a moment.

"Do you think there is anything?--do you think there could be anything
with regard to Honora Ledwith?"

She stopped him with a gesture.

"I have watched all that. Not a thing could happen. Her thoughts are in
heaven, poor chil