+-------------------------------------------------+ |Transcriber's note: | | | |Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ FANNY LAMBERT A Novel BY HENRY DE VERE STACPOOLE AUTHOR OF "THE CRIMSON AZALEAS" "THE BLUE LAGOON" ETC., ETC. [Illustration: Decoration] R. F. FENNO & COMPANY 18 East 17th Street, New York T. FISHER UNWIN, LONDON CONTENTS PART I CHAP. PAGE I. MR LEAVESLEY 1 II. A LOST TYPE 4 III. A COUNCIL OF THREE 12 IV. HANCOCK & HANCOCK 26 V. OMENS 31 VI. LAMBERT _v._ BEVAN 36 VII. THE BEVAN TEMPER 41 VIII. AT "THE LAURELS" 48 IX. "WHAT TALES ARE THESE?" 62 X. ASPARAGUS AND CATS 76 PART II I. A REVELATION 86 II. THE GOD FROM THE MACHINE 113 III. TRIBULATIONS OF AN AUNT 125 IV. THE DAISY CHAIN 131 PART III I. AN ASSIGNATION 141 II. THE EMOTIONS OF MR BRIDGEWATER 150 III. AN OLD MAN'S OUTING 159 IV. A MEETING 169 V. THE ADVENTURES OF BRIDGEWATER 171 VI. A CONFESSION 176 VII. IN GORDON SQUARE 185 PART IV I. "THE ROOST" 194 II. MISS MORGAN 207 III. A CURE FOR BLINDNESS 223 IV. TIC-DOULOUREUX 235 V. THE AMBASSADOR 245 VI. A SURPRISE VISIT 251 VII. THE UNEXPLAINED 263 VIII. RETURN OF THE AMBASSADOR 269 PART V I. GOUT 274 II. THE RESULT 283 III. THE RESULT (_continued_) 299 IV. "JOURNEY'S END" 301 FANNY LAMBERT _PART I_ CHAPTER I MR LEAVESLEY "You may take away the things, Belinda," said Mr Leavesley, lighting his pipe and taking his seat at the easel. "Nobody called this morning, I suppose?" "Only the Capting, sir," replied Belinda, piling the tray. "He called at seven to borry your umbrella." "Did you give it him?" "No, sir, Mr Verneede's got it; you lent it to him the night before last, and he hasn't brought it back." "Ah, so I did," said Mr Leavesley, squeezing Naples yellow from an utterly exhausted looking tube. "So I did, so I did; that's the fifteenth umbrella or so that Verneede has annexed of mine: what does he _do_ with them, do you think, Belinda?" "I'm sure _I_ don't know, sir," replied the maid-of-all-work, looking round the studio as if in search of inspiration, "unless he spouts them."