"My dear," said Miss Gallup, "I know my place if you don't. When you goes to dinner with Squire Ffolliot you must go properly from Marlehouse like anybody else--you must drive out, or hire a motor and put it up there, same as other people do, and go back again to your own house where you're known to be--it's in the paper. There's no sort of use draggin' _me_ in. I always knew as you'd get there some day, and now you've got there and no one's pleasder than me. Do show me the invitation." Eloquent took a note from his breast-pocket and handed it to his aunt, who put on her spectacles and read aloud, slowly and impressively:-- Dear Mr Gallup,--If you have no other engagement, will you come and dine with us on the twenty-first at eight o'clock. It will give us great pleasure if you can.--Yours sincerely, MARGERY FFOLLIOT. "H'm, now that's not what I should have expected," Miss Gallup said in a disappointed tone. "_I_ should have thought she'd 'a said, 'Mr and Mrs Ffolliot presents their compliments to Mr Gallup, and requests the pleasure of his company at a dinner-party'--I know there is a party, for Dorcas did tell Em'ly-Alice there was going to be one; only last night she was talking about it--it's downright blunt that note--I call it----" Eloquent laughed. "All the same I've accepted, and now do explain why I can't sleep here instead of trailing all the way back into Marlehouse at that time of night." "If you can't _see_, why you must just take my word for it. You and me's in different walks of life, and it's my bounden duty to see as you don't bemean yourself. I'm always pleased to see you in a quiet way, but there's no use in strangers knowing we're relations." "What nonsense," Eloquent exclaimed hotly, "I've only got one aunt in the world, and I'm very proud of her, so let there be an end of this foolishness." Miss Gallup wiped her eyes. "In some ways, Eloquent," she said huskily, "with all your politics an' that, you're no better than a child." "I'm hanged if I can see what you're driving at," Eloquent exclaimed in great irritation. "Once more, Aunt Susan, will you give me a bed on Thursday?" "Don't ask me, my dear, don't ask me. It's for your good as I refuse. _I_ can see the difference between us if you can't, and when you took on so with politics, and then your father left all that fortune so as you could leave the likes of the Golden Anchor, I said to myself, 'Now, Martha Gallup, don't you interfere. Don't you go intrudin' on your brother's child. If he sees fit to keep friendly it shows he's a good heart, but you keep your place.' . . . An' I've kep' it; never have I been near you in Marlehouse, as you know--Not but what you've as't me, and very pleased I was to be as't . . ." "And very displeased I was that you would never come," Eloquent interrupted.