The door gently opened--the meek face of the new peeress appeared. "I disturb you--I beg your pardon--I--" "Come in, my dear, come in--I want to talk to you--I want to talk to your ladyship--sit down, pray." Lady Vargrave obeyed. "You see," said the peer, crossing his legs, and caressing his left foot with both hands, while he see-sawed his stately person to and fro in his chair--"you see that the honour conferred upon me will make a great change in our mode of life, Mrs. Temple--I mean Lady Vargrave. This villa is all very well--my country house is not amiss for a country gentleman--but now we must support our rank. The landed estate I already possess will go with the title--go to Lumley--I shall buy another at my own disposal, one that I can feel /thoroughly mine/--it shall be a splendid place, Lady Vargrave." "This place is splendid to me," said Lady Vargrave, timidly. "This place--nonsense--you must learn loftier ideas, Lady Vargrave; you are young, you can easily contract new habits, more, easily, perhaps, than myself. You are naturally ladylike, though I say it--you have good taste, you don't talk much, you don't show your ignorance--quite right. You must be presented at court, Lady Vargrave--we must give great dinners, Lady Vargrave. Balls are sinful, so is the opera, at least I fear so--yet an opera-box would be a proper appendage to your rank, Lady Vargrave." "My dear Mr. Templeton--" "Lord Vargrave, if your ladyship pleases." "I beg pardon. May you live long to enjoy your honours; but I, my dear lord--I am not fit to share them: it is only in our quiet life that I can forget what--what I was. You terrify me when you talk of court--of--" "Stuff, Lady Vargrave! stuff; we accustom ourselves to these things. Do I look like a man who has stood behind a counter? rank is a glove that stretches to the hand that wears it. And the child, dear child,--dear Evelyn, she shall be the admiration of London, the beauty, the heiress, the--oh, she will do me honour!" "She will, she will!" said Lady Vargrave, and the tears gushed from her eyes. Lord Vargrave was softened. "No mother ever deserved more from a child than you from Evelyn." "I would hope I have done my duty," said Lady Vargrave, drying her tears. "Papa, papa!" cried an impatient voice, tapping at the window, "come and play, papa--come and play at ball, papa!" And there, by the window, stood that beautiful child, glowing with health and mirth--her light hair tossed from her forehead, her sweet mouth dimpled with smiles. "My darling, go on the lawn,--don't over-exert yourself--you have not quite recovered that horrid sprain--I will join you immediately--bless you!" "Don't be long, papa--nobody plays so nicely as you do;" and, nodding and laughing from very glee, away scampered the young fairy. Lord Vargrave turned to his wife. "What think you of my nephew--of Lumley?" said he, abruptly. "He seems all that is amiable, frank, and kind."