vainglorious mood, ready to face anything female.

At last he said bitterly:

"I seem to have every jackass in London in my service. Bring her here."

Lucas gloomily announced the readiness of the duke to receive her to
Pollyooly. She followed him eagerly and came into the smoking-room
with a brave air, though she was not feeling as brave as she looked.
The duke stood on the hearthrug and glowered at her.

She did not hesitate; she gazed at his unamiable face with limpid eyes
and said tranquilly:

"How do you do, your Grace?"

The duke grunted; then grew articulate, and said:

"What do you want?"

Pollyooly sat down deliberately in one of the big easy chairs facing
him, and answered:

"If you please, your Grace, I came to see you about an orphan."

"An orphan?" said the duke a little less grumpily. He was somewhat
impressed by the angel face of his visitor. During her last,
compulsory visit it had been so much more red Deeping than angel. Also
her costume so amber and so expensive impressed him.

"Yes: her name is Millicent Saunders; and they wanted to send her to
the workhouse because her mother died who used to dance at the Varolium
in the second row, but of course I couldn't let them do that, could I?"
said Pollyooly in an explanatory tone.

"I don't know. What's it got to do with me?" said the duke quickly.

"Millicent is one of those orphans who wouldn't be much good working
for herself, though of course she'd work hard and be very willing,"
said Pollyooly speaking very clearly in the explanatory tone, and
looking at him with very earnest eyes.

"Then she'd better go to the workhouse. She'll have an idle enough
time there," said the duke who was staunchly conservative in feeling.

"But she can't go to the workhouse," said Pollyooly in a deeply shocked
tone.

"Why not?" said the duke.

Pollyooly looked at him very sternly, and said in a very stern voice:

"Her mother was a very respectable woman; she was in the second row of
the Varolium ballet for years and years; and she always kept Millie
very respectable. Besides, you can't let people go to the workhouse."

"Why can't you, if it's the proper place for them?" said the duke
stubbornly, for he hated to hear the workhouse in any way disparaged,
since he regarded it as a bulwark of society.

"How would you like your little girl to go to the workhouse?" said
Pollyooly in a deeply reproachful tone.

"It's a prospect we needn't consid