unched with him, or rather they
dined and he lunched. After it, having seen the Lump safely on his way
upstairs with Miss Belthorp, Pollyooly followed the duke into the
smoking-room.

"Please, your Grace: Miss Belthorp seems to expect me to know how to
play the piano; and I don't know how to at all," she said gravely.

"The deuce you don't!" said the duke. "Here's another thing I never
thought of."

"I don't _mind_ learning the piano," said Pollyooly with a sigh.

"Yes; but if you showed that you didn't know anything about it, it
would look very suspicious indeed," said the duke; and he frowned
deeply as he cudgelled his brains for a way out of this unexpected
difficulty.

"I expect it would," said Pollyooly.

He frowned on, fidgeting; then he said with decision:

"Well, the only thing to do is to stop it altogether."

"That would be quite safe," said Pollyooly brightening.

"All right: I'll see to it," said the duke.

Pollyooly left him with her heart at ease.

He frowned over the matter for some time, for it did not seem to him to
be quite in the natural order of things that a duke should actually
refuse to allow his daughter to learn the piano. But he could find no
other way of concealing Pollyooly's damning ignorance of the art of
music.

At last therefore he sent for Miss Belthorp and said:

"I--er--have decided that--er--Poll--er--Lady Marion is not to learn
the piano."

"Not learn the piano?" said Miss Belthorp in the tone of one afflicted
with the last amazement.

"I--er--have never observed the--er--slightest aptitude in her for it,"
said the duke with perfect truthfulness.

Miss Belthorp blinked. She prided herself on the brilliancy with which
she played the piano--especially the scherzo passages.

"But--b--but she looks such an intelligent child," she said.

"Yes. That's why," said the duke happily.

Miss Belthorp blinked again; then in a somewhat helpless tone she said:

"Oh, very well, your Grace."

When the door closed behind her, the duke smiled happily and rubbed his
hands together.

Pollyooly was expecting to spend a quiet afternoon in the gardens and
home wood with the Lump and the dogs and perhaps Miss Belthorp. She
hoped that Miss Belthorp would have some more important way of spending
her time. Of Emily Gibbs she could easily dispose, since already she
was giving her orders with a quiet firmness there was no gainsaying.
Indeed, Emily Gibbs had been far too well br