"I don't see any point in your jests at all!" returned Lady Marabout. "There is nothing ridiculous in winning such a girl as Valencia." "No; but the question here is not of winning her, but of buying her. The price is a little high--a ducal coronet and splendid settlements, a wedding-ring and bondage for life; but he will buy her, nevertheless. Cardonnel couldn't pay the first half of the price, and so he was swept out of the auction-room. You are shocked, mother! Ah, truth _is_ shocking sometimes, and always _maladroit_; one oughtn't to bring it into ladies' boudoirs." "Hold your tongue, Philip! I will not have you so satirical. Where do you take it from? Not from me, I am sure! Hark! there is Goodwood going! That is his step on the stairs, I think! Dear me, Philip, I wish you sympathized with me a little more, for I _do_ feel happy, and I can't help it; dear Adeliza will be so gratified." "My dear mother, I'll do my best to be sympathetic, I'll go and congratulate Goodwood as he gets in his cab, if you fancy I ought; but, you see, if I were in Dahomey beholding the head of my best friend coming off, I couldn't quite get up the amount of sympathy in their pleasure at the refreshing sight the Dahomites might expect from me, and so----" But Lady Marabout missed the comparison of herself to a Dahomite, for she had opened the door and was crossing to the drawing-rooms, her eyes bright, her step elastic, her heart exultant at the triumph of her manoeuvres. The Hon. Val was playing with some ferns in an étagère at the bottom of the farthest room, and responded to the kiss her aunt bestowed on her about as much as if she had been one of the statuettes on the consoles. "Well, love, _what did he say_?" asked Lady Marabout, breathlessly, with eager delight and confident anticipation. Like drops of ice on warm rose-leaves fell each word of the intensely chill and slightly sulky response on Lady Marabout's heart. "He said that he goes to Cowes to-morrow for the Royal Yacht Squadron dinner, and then on in the _Anadyomene_ to the Spitzbergen coast for walruses. He left a P. P. C. card for you." "_Walruses!_" shrieked Lady Marabout. "Walruses," responded the Hon. Val. "And said no more than that?" "No more than that!" The Pet Eligible had flown off uncaught after all! Lady Marabout needed no further explanation--_tout fut dit_. They were both silent and paralyzed. Do you suppose Pompey and Cornelia had much need of words when they met at Lesbos after the horrible déroute of Pharsalia? * * * * *