"Wouldn't you?" Cecily's eyes sparkled in sudden approval, and she broke into a smile. "I like you for that," she cried. "I wouldn't have told either." "But now!" The Imp pouted disconsolately. "Well, it's not your fault, I suppose, and----" She walked up to Cecily and gave her a brief but friendly kiss. "And you needn't be so upset as all that about it. We'll just talk over what we'd better do." There was not much prospect of their talk affecting either the laws of England or the determination of Harry Tristram to any appreciable extent. But the proposal seemed to comfort Cecily; and the Imp rang the bell for tea. Coming back from this task, she gave Cecily a critical glance. "You'll look it anyhow," she concluded with a reluctant smile. Meanwhile Iver and Neeld drove back to Blentmouth. Iver said nothing about his friend's bygone treachery; oddly enough it was not in the culprit's mind either. "Now, Neeld, to break this news to Janie!" said Iver. Neeld nodded once again. But of course a situation quite other than they expected awaited them at Fairholme. XVI THE NEW LIFE "You haven't mentioned it to the young man himself?" asked Lady Evenswood. "Certainly not. I've only seen him once, and then he didn't talk of his own affairs. He takes the thing very well. He's lost his position and he's the hero of the newspapers, and he bears both afflictions quite coolly. A lad of good balance, I think." "Is he agreeable?" "Hum, I'm not sure of that. No excess of modesty, I fancy." "I suppose you mean he's not shy? All young men are conceited. I think I should like you to bring him to see me." For forty years such an intimation from Lady Evenswood had enjoyed the rank of a command; Lord Southend received it with proper obedience. "The solution I spoke of has occurred to some of us," he went on. "He's poor now, but with that he could make a marriage. The case is very exceptional----" "So is what you propose, George." "Oh, there are precedents. It was done in the Bearsdale case." "There was a doubt there." Lady Evenswood knew all about the Bearsdale case; though it was ancient history to Southend, she had danced with both the parties to it. "The House was against the marriage unanimously." But he did not deny the doubt. "Well, what are you going to do?" she asked. "It would be necessary to approach Disney." Southend spoke with some appearance of timidity. Mr Disney was Prime Minister. "And the truth is, none of us seemed to like the job. So John Fullcombe suggested you." "What brave men you are!" Her face wrinkled humorously. "Well, he might bite us, and he couldn't bite you--not so hard anyhow." "And you want me to ask for a higher rank! That wasn't done in the Bearsdale case, nor in any other that I ever heard of." "We shouldn't press that. A barony would do. But if Disney thought that under the very exceptional circumstances a viscounty----"