"Hard on our gentlemen, you mean? Well, perhaps it is. But then they always have the sight of me to put up with.--No compliments, thank you. I have my eyesight and my toilet-glass, and they have let me know I was no Venus ever since I can remember. It would not do to depress our gentlemen too much. They might leave, and then wherever would Cedar Lodge be?" Miss Hart became suddenly serious and confidential. "And that reminds me," she went on. "I wanted to have a private word with you to-day about a certain gentleman." "Who may be?" the good George inquired. "You can guess, can't you? Your own candidate." "Mr. Iglesias?" The lady nodded. "Peachie must be spared anxiety, therefore I speak, Mr. Lovegrove. Something is going on, and she is getting worried. You cannot approach the person to whom we are alluding as you can either of our others. Rather stand-offish, even now after nearly eight years that he has been with us. Between you and me and the bedpost, Mr. Lovegrove, I am just a wee bit nervous of that person. So if you could hint, quite in confidence, what his plans may be for the future it would' be really friendly." "Dear me, dear me! Plans? I do not quite follow you, Miss Hart. Nothing wrong with him, I trust?" "That is just what we cannot find out. No spying, of course, Mr. Lovegrove. Neither Peachie nor I would descend to such meanness. Our gentlemen have perfect liberty. We would scorn to put questions. But it is close on a week now since the person we are alluding to has been to the City." "Bless me! You surprise me. He cannot have left Barking Brothers & Barking?" The great Eliza shook her leonine mane. "I believe that is just exactly what he has done." "You do surprise me. I can hardly credit it. Nearly a week, and he as punctual and regular as clockwork! I must run over this evening and catch him. Something must be wrong. And yet why has he not been here? Dear me. Miss Hart, you----" But the end of the sentence was lost in the bass notes issuing from the presence upon the sofa. "Truly, the prosperity of the nation," Dr. Nevington was saying, "of this dear old England of ours that we so love, is wholly bound up with the prosperity of her national Church. I use the word prosperity in a plain, manly, straightforward sense. Personally I should rejoice to see the bonds of Church and State drawn closer. It could not fail to make for the welfare of both. Then, among other benefits, we should see the poverty of many members of my cloth, which is now a crying scandal--" "You do hear very sad tales from the country districts, certainly," sighed Mrs. Lovegrove.