ing it on."

The duchess gasped: "What do you mean? What _do_ you mean?" she cried;
and her tone was now all astonishment.

The Honourable John Ruffin created a diversion by saying:

"As far as I can make out this is a private matter; and little pitchers
have long ears. Come along, little pitchers." And he was sweeping
Pollyooly and Ronald off the lawn.

The duchess glared at him, and stopped them for a moment with the words:

"Is this your doing, John?"

"Heavens, no! Osterley is the originator, and organiser, and
perpetrator of the whole arrangement," he cried over his shoulder in a
tone which carried conviction; and he vanished with the children.

The duchess turned and glared again at the duke, as if she could not
believe her eyes; she looked almost as if she saw him for the first
time.

"Sit down and have some tea. You must be wanting it," said the duke
firmly; and he began to pour it out.

The duchess sat down, with a somewhat helpless air, still staring at
him. Matters seemed to be going differently from what she had
expected. Her fine brown eyes looked very big.

"You did this all yourself?" she said, in a somewhat breathless voice.

"Did what? Two lumps, isn't it?" said the duke, putting two lumps into
the cup and handing it to her.

"Deliberately substituted a strange child for your own," said the
duchess solemnly.

"Oh, that," said the duke carelessly. "That's all right. You needn't
worry about that. I've quite taken to Mary Bride. She's so--so
companionable--and--and as clever as they make 'em, and as pretty as a
picture. She makes a ripping Lady Marion Ricksborough. Why, when she
comes into a room, or on to a lawn, it's beginning to make as much
sensation as if it were yourself. I was awfully lucky to get hold of
her." His tone had grown truly enthusiastic.

The duchess ground her teeth and cried:

"And do you think I'm going to stand it?"

"Stand it? I thought you'd like it," said the duke in a perplexed
tone. "Of course I'm not going to bother you about Marion any more;
you can keep her. And it's all so deucedly comfortable; you've got the
Marion you want, and I've got the Marion I want. And so we're both
happy." And he smiled amiably.

"Happy! Happy when a strange child is usurping the place of my child?"
cried the duchess furiously.

"Oh, that's all right. Marion's got _you_," said the duke. "Besides,
I'm not going to go all my life without any family. It