On the Sunday after this Lady George dined again with her father at Mr. Houghton's house, the dinner having been made up especially for the Dean. On this occasion the Mildmays were not there; but Captain De Baron was one of the guests. But then he was Mrs. Houghton's cousin, and had the run of the house on all occasions. Again, there was no great party; Mrs. Montacute Jones was there, and Hetta,--Miss Houghton, that is, whom all the world called Hetta,--and Mrs. Houghton's father, who happened to be up in town. Again Lady George found herself sitting between her host and Jack De Baron, and again she thought that Jack was a very agreeable companion. The idea of being in any way afraid of him did not enter into her mind. Those horrid words which Guss Mildmay had said to her,--as to all being fish for his net,--had no effect of that nature. She assured herself that she knew herself too well to allow anything of that kind to influence her. That she, Lady George Germain, the daughter of the Dean of Brotherton, a married woman, should be afraid of any man, afraid of any too close intimacy! The idea was horrible and disgusting to her. So that when Jack proposed to join her and her father in the park on the next afternoon, she said that she would be delighted; and when he told her absurd stories of his regimental duties, and described his brother officers who probably did not exist as described by him, and then went on to hunting legends in Buckinghamshire, she laughed at everything he said and was very merry. "Don't you like Jack?" Mrs. Houghton said to her in the drawing-room. "Yes, I do; very much. He's just what Jack ought to be." "I don't know about that. I suppose Jack ought to go to church twice on Sundays, and give half what he has to the poor, just as well as John." "Perhaps he does. But Jack is bound to be amusing, while John need not have a word to say for himself." "You know he's my pet friend. We are almost like brother and sister, and therefore I need not be afraid of him." "Afraid of him! Why should anybody be afraid of him?" "I am sure you needn't. But Jack has done mischief in his time. Perhaps he's not the sort of man that would ever touch your fancy." Again Lady George blushed, but on this occasion she had nothing to say. She did not want to quarrel with Mrs. Houghton, and the suggestion that she could possibly love any other man than her husband had not now been made in so undisguised a manner as before. "I thought he was engaged to Miss Mildmay," said Lady George. "Oh, dear no; nothing of the kind. It is impossible, as neither of them has anything to speak of. When does Lord George come back?" "To-morrow." "Mind that he comes to see me soon. I do so long to hear what he'll say about his new sister-in-law. I had made up my mind that I should have to koto to you before long as a real live marchioness." "You'll never have to do that." "Not if this child is a real Lord Popenjoy. But I have my hopes still, my dear."