Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by Google Books Transcriber's Notes: 1. Page scan source: http://books.google.com/books?id=EII1AAAAMAAJ LAID UP IN LAVENDER BY THE SAME AUTHOR * * * THE HOUSE OF THE WOLF THE NEW RECTOR THE STORY OF FRANCIS CLUDDE A GENTLEMAN OF FRANCE THE MAN IN BLACK UNDER THE RED ROBE MY LADY ROTHA THE RED COCKADE A MINISTER OF FRANCE SHREWSBURY THE CASTLE INN SOPHIA COUNT HANNIBAL IN KINGS' BYWAYS THE LONG NIGHT THE ABBESS OF VLAYE STARVECROW FARM CHIPPINGE LAID UP IN LAVENDER BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN AUTHOR OF "A GENTLEMAN OP FRANCE," "THE CASTLE INN," "UNDER THE RED ROBE," ETC. LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 91 and 98 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 1907 Copyright, 1907, By LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. * * * _All rights reserved_ NOTE The Author desires to record his gratitude to the late Mr. James Payn and to Mr. Comyns Carr, under whose fostering care these stories came into existence; and to Messrs. Macmillan and Co., and to Messrs. Smith, Elder and Co., whose enterprise found for them a first opening in life. _July_, 1907. CONTENTS LADY BETTY'S INDISCRETION. THE SURGEON'S GUEST. THE COLONEL'S BOY. A GOOD MAN'S DILEMMA. BAB. GERALD. JOANNA'S BRACELET. THE BODY-BIRDS OF COURT. THE VICAR'S SECRET. THE OTHER ENGLISHMAN. KING PEPIN AND SWEET CLIVE. FAMILY PORTRAITS. LAID UP IN LAVENDER LADY BETTY'S INDISCRETION "Horry! I am sick to death of it!" There was a servant in the room collecting the tea-cups; but Lady Betty Stafford, having been reared in the purple, was not to be deterred from speaking her mind by a servant. Her cousin was either more prudent or less vivacious. He did not answer on the instant, but stood gazing through one of the windows at the leafless trees and slow-dropping rain in the Mall. He only turned when Lady Betty pettishly repeated her statement. "Had a bad time?" he vouchsafed, dropping into a chair near her, and looking first at her, in a good-natured way, and then at his boots, which he seemed to approve. "Horrid!" she replied. "Many people here?"