“Married--me? Good gracious, no! Who wants to marry a silly old johnny like me? Oh dear, no! There was a girl who wanted to marry me, I understand, when I was rather young, but her ladyship wouldn’t have her at any price.” He had never occupied any responsible position. His mother managed his estate with the aid of bailiffs and lawyers; from time to time documents came to him for his signature; and he had been to the House of Lords once to take his seat. “Never again--too silly,” he said. “They dress you up in red velvet and put crowns and things on your head!” She discovered, to her surprise, that he had a hobby, and incidentally, his mother’s sneering remarks about his “batteries” were cleared up. He had a passion for electrical apparatus. His study, into which the girl had not been invited, was a litter of model dynamos, electric trains, and batteries. “I’ve done one of the neatest little jobs for her ladyship in the library--ask her to show it to you.” His face went serious, “Perhaps you’d better not,” he said hastily. Electrical work was not wholly an amusement to him. He claimed with pride to have fixed all the bells in the house, and later the girl learnt that this was true. Whatever terrors the peerage had for Lizzy were quickly dissipated; towards the end of the evening she was hotly disputing the bona fides of a piece which had mysteriously appeared on his side of the chequer-board. “Never had such a perfectly jolly evening in all my young life,” said his lordship. He had been glancing nervously at the clock for some time. “Now I think I’ll toddle, before the madam comes.” He made one of his rapid exits, and the two girls came out into the hall. Braime was standing by the front door, staring through the glass panels into the street. “Good-night, miss,” he said respectfully, and then continued his vigil. “I don’t like that man,” said Lizzy, when they got to their room. “Braime? I didn’t, but I owe him so much. If he had not been there last night----” “How did he get there--that’s the question?” said Lizzy. “He must have been in the room when the balcony fell, for almost at once I felt somebody pulling me aside.” “What do you think of Lord Moron?” asked Lois, anxious to turn the conversation to pleasanter channels. “He’s wonderful,” said Lizzy dreamily. “From what I heard about him I thought he was dippy; but that boy’s got brains!” Lois was in bed, and Lizzy, who was too intensely interested in her own views to be a quick-change artist, was in that condition of deshabille which made her least presentable, when there came a frantic tapping at the door. “Who is that?” asked Lois. “It’s me, young lady. Can I come in?” It was Lord Moron’s voice. Chapter Fourteen “I’m afraid you can’t come in now. Is there anything you want?” “Yes, I forgot something,” said the agitated voice. “Can I get it for you?” asked Lois, now at the door. “No, I’m afraid you can’t, it’s--er----”