"He is very much of a politician; but he is not an Irishman." "Irish name," suggested the lord. "Irish name, yes; so are half the names in my country. My father comes from the United States. And he is strongly impressed with the necessity of putting down the horrid injustice with which the poor Irish are treated by the monstrous tyranny of you English aristocrats. You are very nice to look at." "Thank you, Miss O'Mahony." "But you are very bad to go. You are not the kind of horses I care to drive at all. Thieves, traitors, murderers, liars." "Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed the lord. "I don't say anything for myself, because I am only a singing girl, and understand nothing about politics. But these are the very lightest words which he has at his tongue's end when he talks about you. He is the most good-tempered fellow in the world, and you would like him very much. Here is Mr. Moss." Mr. Moss had opened the door and had entered the room. The greeting between the two men was closely observed by Rachel, who, though she was very imprudent in much that she did and much that she said, never allowed anything to pass by her unobserved. Mr. Moss, though he affected an intimacy with the lord, was beyond measure servile. Lord Castlewell accepted the intimacy without repudiating it, but accepted also the servility. "Well, Moss, how are you getting on in this little house?" "Ah, my lord, you are going to rob us of our one attraction," and having bowed to the lord he turned round and bowed to the lady. "You have no right to keep such a treasure in a little place like this." "We can afford to pay for it, you know, my lord. M. Le Gros came here a little behind my back, and carried her off." "Much to her advantage, I should say." "We can pay," said Mr. Moss. "To such a singer as Mademoiselle O'Mahony paying is not everything. An audience large enough, and sufficiently intelligent to appreciate her, is something more than mere money." "We have the most intelligent audience in all London," Mr. Moss said in defence of his own theatre. "No doubt," said the lord. He had, during this little intercourse of compliments, managed to write a word or two on a slip of paper, which he now handed to Rachel--"Will L200 do?" This he put into her hand, and then left her, saying that he would do himself the honour of calling upon her again at her own lodgings, "where I shall hope," he said, "to make the acquaintance of the most good-tempered fellow in the world." Then he took his leave. CHAPTER XXVII. HOW FUNDS WERE PROVIDED. Mr. Moss at this interview again pressed his loan of money upon poor Rachel. "You cannot get on, my dear young lady, in this world without money. If you have spent your income hitherto, what do you mean to do till the end of November? At Covent Garden the salaries are all paid monthly."