"I tell you it must be so." "But you are engaged. He would never be so base a man as to take your word at such a moment as this. Of course he couldn't do it. If you had had small-pox, or anything horrible like that, he would not have been justified." "I'm as ugly as ever I can be," said the tablet, "and as poor a creature." Then she stopped her pencil for a moment. "Of course he's engaged to you. Why, my dear, I'd have to cowhide him if he said a word of the kind." "Oh, no!" said the tablet with frantic energy. "But you see if I wouldn't! You see if I don't! I suppose they think a lord isn't to be cowhided in this country. I guess I'll let 'em know the difference." "But I don't love him," said the tablet. "Goodness gracious me!" "I don't. When he spoke of you in that way I began to think of it, and I found I hated him. I do hate him like poison, and I want you to tell him so." "That will be very disagreeable," said the father. "Never mind the disagreeables. You tell him so. I tell you he won't be the worst pleased of the lot of us. He wanted a singer, and not a Landleaguer's daughter; now he hasn't got the singer, but has got the Landleaguer's daughter. And I'll tell you something else I want--" "What do you want?" asked the father, when her hand for a moment ceased to scrawl. "I want," she said, "Frank Jones. Now you know all about it." Then she hid her face beneath the bedclothes, and refused to write another word. He went on talking to her till he had forgotten the Speaker and the rod in pickle. He besought her to think better of it; and if not that, just at present to postpone any action in the matter. He explained to her how very disagreeable it would be to him to have to go to the lord with such a message as she now proposed. But she only enhanced the vehemence of her order by shaking her head as her face lay buried in the pillow. "Let it wait for one fortnight," said the father. "No!" said the girl, using her own voice for the effort. Then the father slowly took himself off, and making his way to the House of Commons, renewed his passion as he went, and had himself again turned out before he had been half-an-hour in the House.