Willis announced the Lady Mary
Sutton.

Mr. Joseph Loveredge, who was sitting near the fire, rose up. Lord Mount-
Primrose, who was standing near the piano, sat down. The Lady Mary
Sutton paused in the doorway. Mrs. Loveredge crossed the room to greet
her.

"Let me introduce you to my husband," said Mrs. Loveredge. "Joey, my
dear, the Lady Mary Sutton. I met the Lady Mary at the O'Meyers' the
other day, and she was good enough to accept my invitation. I forgot to
tell you."

Mr. Loveredge said he was delighted; after which, although as a rule a
chatty man, he seemed to have nothing else to say. And a silence fell.

Somerville the Briefless--till then. That evening has always been
reckoned the starting-point of his career. Up till then nobody thought
he had much in him--walked up and held out his hand.

"You don't remember me, Lady Mary," said the Briefless one. "I met you
some years ago; we had a most interesting conversation--Sir Francis
Baldwin."

The Lady Mary stood for a moment trying apparently to recollect. She was
a handsome, fresh-complexioned woman of about forty, with frank,
agreeable eyes. The Lady Mary glanced at Lord Garrick, who was talking
rapidly to Lord Mount-Primrose, who was not listening, and who could not
have understood even if he had been, Lord Garrick, without being aware of
it, having dropped into broad Scotch. From him the Lady Mary glanced at
her hostess, and from her hostess to her host.

The Lady Mary took the hand held out to her. "Of course," said the Lady
Mary; "how stupid of me! It was the day of my own wedding, too. You
really must forgive me. We talked of quite a lot of things. I remember
now."

Mrs. Loveredge, who prided herself upon maintaining old-fashioned
courtesies, proceeded to introduce the Lady Mary to her fellow-guests, a
little surprised that her ladyship appeared to know so few of them. Her
ladyship's greeting of the Duke of Warrington was accompanied, it was
remarked, by a somewhat curious smile. To the Duke of Warrington's
daughter alone did the Lady Mary address remark.

"My dear," said the Lady Mary, "how you have grown since last we met!"

The announcement of dinner, as everybody felt, came none too soon.

It was not a merry feast. Joey told but one story; he told it three
times, and twice left out the point. Lord Mount-Primrose took sifted
sugar with _pate de foie gras_ and ate it with a spoon. Lord Garrick,
talking a mixture of S