On the evening when May and Constance were at the crush in Pont Street, she would not go to bed, but lay on a couch in her chamber, occasionally dozing, more often wide awake and quivering with the agitation of her mind. It was one o'clock when the girls returned, but she had given orders that Miss Tomalin should at once come to see her, and May, flushed, resplendent, entered the dimly-lighted room. "Well, have you enjoyed yourself?" The voice was a shock to May's ears. After those to which she had been listening, it sounded sepulchral. "Very much indeed. A delightful time!" No token of affection had a place in their greeting. The old autocrat could not bring herself to offer, or ask for, tenderness; but in her eyes, always expressive of admiration when she looked at May, might have been read something like hunger of the heart. "Sit down, my dear." Even this form of address was exceptional. "Tell me all about it. Who was there?" "Hundreds of people! I can't remember half of those I was introduced to. Lord Dymchurch--" "Ha! Lord Dymchurch came? And you had a talk with him?" "Oh, yes. I find he takes a great interest in Old English, and we talked about Chaucer and so on for a long time. He isn't quite so well up in it as I am; I put him right on one or two points, and he seemed quite grateful. He's very nice, isn't he? There's something so quiet and good-natured about him. I thought perhaps he would have offered to take me down to supper, but he didn't. Perhaps he didn't think of it; I fancy he's rather absentminded." Lady Ogram knitted her brows. "Who did go down with you?" she asked. "Oh, Mr. Lashmar. He was very amusing. Then I talked with--" "Wait a minute. Did you only have one talk with Lord Dymchurch?" "Only one. He doesn't care for 'At Homes.' Mrs. Toplady says he hardly ever goes anywhere, and she fancies"--May laughed lightly--"that he came to-night only because _I_ was going to be there. Do you think it likely, aunt?" "Why, I don't think it impossible," replied Lady Ogram, in a tone of relief. "I have known more unlikely things. And suppose it were true?" "Oh, it's very complimentary, of course." The old eyes dwelt upon the young face, and with a puzzled expression. Notwithstanding her own character, it was difficult for Lady Ogram to imagine that the girl seriously regarded herself as superior to Lord Dymchurch. "Perhaps it's more than a compliment," she said, in rather a mumbling voice; and she added, with an effort to speak distinctly, "I suppose you didn't tire him with that talk about Old English?" "Tire him?" May exclaimed. "Way, he was delighted!" "But he seems to have been satisfied with the one talk." "Oh, he went away because Mr. Lashmar came up, that was all. He's very modest; perhaps he thought he oughtn't to prevent me from talking to other people." Lady Ogram looked annoyed and worried.