r Grace, this is Mr. Richard Carvel. His
family are dear friends of ours in the colonies."

To my great surprise, the duke saluted me quite civilly. But I had the
feeling of facing a treacherous bull which would gore me as soon as ever
my back was turned. He was always putting me in mind of a bull, with his
short neck and heavy, hunched shoulders,--and with the ugly tinge of red
in the whites of his eyes.

"Mr. Manners tells me you are to remain awhile in London, Mr. Carvel,"
he said, in his thick voice.

I took his meaning instantly, and replied in kind.

"Yes, your Grace, I have some business to attend to here."

"Ah," he answered; "then I shall see you again."

"Probably, sir," said I.

His Lordship watched this thrust and parry with an ill-concealed
delight. Dorothy's face was impassive, expressionless. As the duke
turned to mount the stairs, he stumbled clumsily across a young man
coming to pay his respects to Miss Manners, and his Grace went sprawling
against the wall.

"Confound you, sir!" he cried.

For the ducal temper was no respecter of presences. Then a title was a
title to those born lower, and the young man plainly had a vast honour
for a coronet.

"I beg your Grace's pardon," said he.

"Who the deuce is he?" demanded the duke petulantly of Mr. Manners,
thereby setting the poor little man all a-tremble.

"Why, why,--" he replied, searching for his spyglass.

For an instant Dolly's eyes shot scorn. Chartersea had clearly seen and
heeded that signal before.

"The gentleman is a friend of mine," she said.

Tho' I were put out of the Garden of Eden as a consequence, I itched to
have it out with his Grace then and there. I knew that I was bound
to come into collision with him sooner or later. Such, indeed, was my
mission in London. But Dorothy led the way upstairs, a spot of colour
burning each of her cheeks. The stream of guests had been arrested until
the hall was packed, and the curious were peering over the rail above.

"Lord, wasn't she superb!" exclaimed Comyn, exultingly, as we followed.
In the drawing-room the buzzing about the card tables was hushed a
moment as she went in. But I soon lost sight of her, thanks to Comyn. He
drew me on from group to group, and I was duly presented to a score
of Lady So-and-sos and honourable misses, most of whom had titles, but
little else. Mammas searched their memories, and suddenly discovered
that they had heard their parents speak of my grandfathe