"There were some arrests made; and after all, one cannot see hungry men and women punished for taking food." There was silence after this remark, and Kate glanced at Exham, whose veiled eyes, cast upon the glass of wine he held in his hand, betrayed nothing. But when he lifted them, they caught something from Kate's eyes, and an almost imperceptible smile passed from face to face. No one asked Exham for further particulars; and the Duke hurriedly changed the subject. "Where do you think I took lunch to-day?" he asked. "At Stephen's," answered the Duchess. "Not likely," he replied. "I am neither a fashionable officer, nor a dandy about town. If I had asked for lunch there, the waiters would have stared solemnly, and told me there was no table vacant." "As you want horses, perhaps you went to Limmers," said Exham. "No. I met a party of gentlemen and ladies going to Whitbread's Brewery, and I went with them. We had a steak done on a hot malt shovel, and plenty of stout to wash it down. There were quite a number of visitors there; it has become one of the sights of London. Then I rode as far as the Philosophical Society, and heard a lecture on a new chemical force." "The Archbishop does not approve of your devotion to Science," said the Duchess, reprovingly. "I know it," he answered. "All our clergy regard Science as a new kind of sin. I saw the Archbishop later, at a very interesting ceremony,--the deposition in Whitehall Chapel of twelve Standards taken in Andalusia by the personal bravery of our soldiers." "I wish I had seen that ceremony," said Kate. "And I wish I had myself been one of the heroes carrying the Standard I had won," added Annabel. The Duke smiled at the pretty volunteers, and continued, "It was a very interesting sight. Three royal Dukes, many Generals and foreign Ambassadors, and the finest troops in London were present. We had some good music, and a short religious service, and then the Archbishop deposited the flags on each side of the Altar." "I like these military ceremonies," said the Duchess. "I shall not forget the Proclamation of Peace after Waterloo. What a procession of mediæval splendour it was!" "I remember it, though I was only a little boy," said Exham. "The Proclamation was read three times,--at Temple Bar, at Charing Cross, and at The Royal Exchange. The blast of trumpets before and after each reading!--I can hear it yet!" "And the Thanksgiving at St. Paul's after the procession was just as impressive," continued the Duchess. "The Prince Regent and the Duke of Wellington walked together, and Wellington carried the Sword of State. It was a gorgeous festival set to trumpets and drums, and the roll of organ music, and the seraphic singing of '_Lo! the conquering hero comes_.' The Duke could have asked England for anything he desired that day." "Yet he is very unpopular now," said Kate, timidly. "Even my father thinks he carries everything with too high a hand."