them to send her out to us as soon as an escort could be found."

"Yes?" said Mrs Jardine for the third time, but as it was evident no
further information was forthcoming, she covered her disappointment
with a little gush of friendly interest. "And do tell me, dear Lady
Cinnamond, what is the dear girl's real name? As I said to Mr Jardine
only two days ago, 'You may take my word for it, Samuel, Miss Cinnamond
was baptized Honora or Honoria. Honour is merely a sweet little family
name.'"

"I suppose it may sound foolish to strangers," said Lady Cinnamond,
with a calmness that suggested she did not care whether it did or not.
"It was a kind of joke of Sir Arthur's. I was playing with her one day
when she was a baby, and calling her in Spanish the dearest thing in
the world, and he pounced on me at once. 'I thought honour was the
dearest thing in the world?' he said--I had told him so long
before--and after that he would not hear of calling the baby anything
but Honour."

She paused--with a definiteness which suggested that Mrs Jardine's call
had lasted long enough, but the visitor was by this time aware that she
had been guided dexterously away from her main object, and was
determined to repair the omission.

"Then you are satisfied that nothing dreadful will occur at the ball
to-night, dear Lady Cinnamond?" she asked anxiously. "Young men are so
uncontrolled nowadays, you know, and Mr Charteris, I believe, is
extremely passionate. I have heard that he makes use of the most
frightful language to his servants----"

The slightest possible gesture from the great lady stopped her.

"I have no fear whatever that either my daughter or any gentleman who
may be among the guests will transgress the laws of propriety," said
Lady Cinnamond icily.

"Oh, I am so glad you think all will be well. I may tell my husband
so? He was so troubled about it, and I ventured to take the liberty of
calling upon you, just that I might relieve his mind. You _must_ know
best, of course."

"But what course were you intending to propose?" asked the hostess,
with natural curiosity.

Mrs Jardine looked, as she felt, confused. "Oh, well," she murmured,
"if Miss Cinnamond had remained away this evening----?"

"But would not that have been a little marked? I think we have all
been making too much of a rather foolish affair, Mrs Jardine. After
all, now that Honour has refused both of the young men, there is no
reason----"

"Refus