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To her godmother's horror, Arabella
advanced on the waggoner, berating
him for ill-treating his horse.
Bv GEORGETTE
HEYER
ILLUSTRATED
8 Y BOOTHROYD
INHERE is great excitement at the
vicarage at Heythram when ARA
I BELLA, eldest daughter of the
REVEREND TALLANT. is invited to
ioend a London season with her god
ther, LADY BRIDLINGTON.
Arabella's mother and sisters feel
re the visit will lead to an advan
'ageous marriage; Mrs. Tallant skil-
fully manipulates her slender re-
sources to equip her daughter suit-
ably.; and at length Arabella sets off
aperoned by a former governess.
When, after a few days, the car
:age breaks down, they seek shelter
at a residence which chances to be the
shooting-box of MR. BEAUMARIS,
leader of London society.
At the insistence of his friend
LORD FLEETWOOD, Beaumaris in-
differently receives the stranded
témales, but Arabella is furious to
overhear him say that this is just a
urtune hunter's trick to meet him.
and retaliates icith a story that she
herself is fabulously wealthy.
In London, she is ashamed to admit
this in a talk with her godmother.
.VOW READ ON:
Ï\PV BRIDLINGTON, misunderstand-
ing the reason for Arabella's evident
i confusion, said hastily. "If you should
ruinate enough to engage some gentle
iffertion. dear Arabella, of course you
will tell him just how vou are placed, or. I
shall. Meanwhile, it would be foolish, and
quite unnecessary, for you to be talking of
four i irrumstances to everyone you meet."
Very well, ma'am." said Arabella, in a
nibdued tone.
I knew you would be sensible. Well,
now. I am sure {here is no need for me to
.i\ anything more to you on this head, and
we must deride whom 1 shall invite to my
vening party. I wonder, my love, if you
would see if my tablets are on that little
\nd a pencil, if you will be so good!"
These commodities having been lound, thc
rdv settled down happily to plan her
.nhioming party. Since the names she
ted »ere all of them unknown to Arabella,
'he discussion resolved itself into a gentle
?Monologue.
Lady [kidlington ran through the greater
part of her acquaintances, murmuring that
I would be useless to invite the Farnworths,
»ince they had no children; that Lady Kirk
michael could not be depended on to invite
tabella, even if she did give a ball for that
nk) daughter of hers; that thc Accringtons
'inst, of course, be sent a card, and also the
Huxtons-delightful families both, and bound
entertain largely this season.
\nd I mean to invite I»rd Dewsbury and
s < Geoffrey Morecambe, my dear, for there
i no saying but what one of them might
Uld perhaps Kmily Cowper might, and
the Charnwood*, and Mr. Gatwick; and. if
lie in town, the (iarthorpes . . ."
'she rambled on in thin style, while Ara
» II.i tried to look interested. But her atten-
tion soon wandered, to be recalled with a
jerk when Lady Bridlington mentioned a
name she did know.
And I shall send Mr. Beaumaris a card.
" "se it would be such a splendid thing
* von, my love, if it were known that he
'.one to your debut-for such we may rall
\hv. if he were to come, and perhaps
'?'ilk to you lor a few minutes and seem
pleased with you, you would bc made!"
She paused for breath, and Arabella, color-
ing in spite of herself, was able at last to
say: "I I am myself a little acquainted with
Mr Beaumaris, ma'am."
Lady Bridlington dropped her pencil. V -
(|iiainted with Mr. Beaumaris?" she repeated.
"Mv love, what can you be thinking about?
W hen can you possibly have met him?"
"I I quite forgot to tell you, ma'am,''
faltered Arabella unhappily, "that when the
pole broke- I told vou that!-Miss Blackburn
and I sought shelter in his hunting box, and
.md he had Lord Fleetwood with him. and
wt stayed to dine."
Lady Bridlington gasped. 'Good heavens,
Arabella, and voil never told me! Mr. Beau-
maris' house! He actually asked you to dine,
and vou never breathed a word of it to me!"
Arabella lound herself quite incapable of
explaining why »he had been shy of men
tioning this episode. She stammered that it
had slipped out of her mind in all the ex-
citement of coming to London.
"Slipped out of your mind?" exclaimed
Lady Bridlington. "You dine with Mr. Beau-
maris, and at his hunting box, too. and then
t.ilk to me about the excitement of coming
to London? Good gracious, child! But,
there, you are such a country mouse, my love,
I dare say you did not know all it might
mean to you. Did he seem pleased? Did
he like von.'"
(his was a little too much, even for a
young ladv determined to be on her best
behaviour. "J dare sa\ he disliked me ex-
cessively, ma'am, for I thought him very
proud and disagreeable, and 1 hope you won't
ask him to your partv on ntv account!"
"Nol ask him to my party, when, if he
<amc to it. everyone would say it wis a
MU liss.' You must be mad, Arabella, to talk
THIRD INSTALMENT OF A TEN-PART SERIAL
so! And do let me beg of you, my dear,
never to say such a thing of Mr. Beaumaris
iii publie! I dare say he may be a little stiff,
but what is that to the purpose, pray. 1 here
is no one who counts for more in society,
for setting aside his fortune, which is immense,
my love, he is related to half the houses in
England.."
"I thought Lord Fleetwood most amiable
and gentlemanlike." orfcrcd Arabella, by ».u
ol palliative.
"Fleetwood! I can tell vou this. Arabella:
there is no use in your setting your cap at
him, for all the world knows that he must
inarrv mone) !"
"I hope, ma'am." cried \rabclhi. Haring
up, "that you do not mean to suggest that
I should set my cap at Mr. Beaumaris, for
nothing would prevail upon me to do so!"
Please turn to page 8

Arabella Continued from page 7

LADY BRID

LINGTON said frankly, "My
love, it would be useless for
you even to think of setting
your cap at Robert Beaumaris.
He may have his pick of all
the beauties in England, I dare
say. And, what is more, he is
thc most accomplished flirt in

London."

She added feelingly, "But I
do most earnestly implore you
not to set him against you by
treating him with the least in-
civility. You may think him
what you please, but, believe
me, Arabella, he could ruin
your whole career-and mine,
too, if it came to that."

Arabella propped her chin
in her hand, pondering an
agreeable thought. "Or he
could make everything easy
for me, ma'am?" she inquired.

"Of course he could-if he
chose to do it. He is the most

unpredictable creature! It
might amuse him to make you
thc rage of town-or he might
take it into his hPad to say
you were not quite in his style
-and if once he says that, my
dear, what man will look twice
at you, unless he has already
fallen in love with you, which,
after all, we cannot expect?"

"My dear ma'am," said Ara-
bella in dulcet accents. "I
hope I should not be so ill
bred as to be uncivil to anyone
-even Mr. Beaumaris!"

"I am happy to hear you say
so, my love, but ten to one he
won't come," responded her
ladyship pessimistically.

Nothing more was said about
Mr. Beaumaris, her ladyship
being suddenly diverted by
some chance thought into de-
scribing to Arabella the vari-
ous social treats she had in

store for her. In spite of the
fact that the season had not yet
begun, they were so numerous
that Arabella felt almost giddy
and wondered whether, in this
round of gaiety, her hostess

would find the time to accom-

pany her to church on Sunday.

But in doubting whether
Lady Bridlington would go to
church she wronged her; Lady
Bridlington would have
thought it very odd not to be
seen in her pew every Sunday
morning, unless, as was often
the case, she chose to attend
the service at the Chapel
Royal, where she could be
sure of seeing all her more dis-
tinguished friends and even,
very often, some member of
the Royal Family.

This good fortune was hers
on Arabella's first Sunday in
London, and the circum-
stance made fine reading for

the interested brothers and
sisters in Yorkshire.

"I am growing quite accus-
tomed to London," she con-
tinued her letter, "and begin
to know my way about the
streets, though, of course, I do
not walk out by myself yet.
Lady Bridlington sends a foot-
man with me, just as Bertram
said she would, but I see that
young females do go alone
nowadays, only perhaps they

are not of the haut ton.

"This is very important, and
I am in constant dread that I
shall do something improper
such as walking down St.
James Street, where all the
gentlemen's clubs are, and very
fast, which, of course, I do not
wish to be thought.

"Lady Bridlington gives an
evening party to introduce me
to her friends. I shall be all

of a quake, for everyone is so
grand and fashionable, though
perfectly civil, and much

kinder than I had looked for.

"Sophy will like to know

that Lord Fleetwood, whom 1
met on the road, as I wrote
from Grantham, paid us a
morning visit to see how I did,
which was very amiable and
obliging of him. Also Mr.
Beaumaris, but we were out
driving in the Park. He left

his card.

"Lady Bridlington was in
transports, and has placed it
above all the rest, which 1
think is nonsensical, but I
find that that is the way of
the world, and makes mc re-
flect on all Papa has said on
the subject of Folly, and the
Hollowness of Fashionable
Life."

That seemed to dispose
satisfactorily of Mr. Beau-
maris. Arabella dipped her
pen again.

"Lady Bridlington is every-
thing that is kind, and I am
persuaded that her son is a
very respectable young man,

and not at all abandoned to
the Pursuit of Pleasure, as
Papa feared. He is travelling
in Germany and has visited a
great many of the battle-

fields.

"He writes very interesting
letters to his mama, with
which I am sure Papa would

none Help

"/ can remember only once that your mother
answered 'yes' to any request of mine. That teas

shortly before tee were married."

be pleased, for he seems to feel
just as he ought, and moral-
ises on all he sees in a truly
elevating way though rather
long."

Arabella perceived that there

was little room left on her

sheet, and added in a cramped
fist, "With my love to my
brothers and sisters, and my
affectionate duty to dear Papa,
I remain your loving daughter
Arabella."

Plenty of promising matter
there for Mama and the girls
to pore over and to discuss,
even though so much remained
unwritten, for one felt quite
shy of disclosing even to
Mama how very gracious
how amazingly kind everyone
was being to an insignificant
girl from Yorkshire.

For so it was. Shopping in
Bond Street, driving in Hyde
Park, attending service at thc
Chapel Royal, Lady Bridling-
ton naturally encountered
friends and never failed to
present Arabella to their
notice. Forbidding dowagers
unbent in the most gratifying
way. quite overpowering her
by their insistence that Lady
'kidlington should bring her
In sec them one day.

Several introduced their
daughters to Arabella, suggest-
ing that she might walk in

Green Park some fine morn-
ing, so that in no time it
seemed as though she had a

host of acquaintances in Lon-

don.

The gentlemen were not
more backward; it was quite
a commonplace thing for
some stroller in the park to
come up to Lady Bridlington's
barouche and stand chatting
to her and her pretty protegee;
while more than one sprig of
fashion with whom her lady-
ship was barely acquainted
paid her a morning visit on
what seemed, even to one so
little given to speculation as
Lady Bridlington, the slen-

derest of excuses.

She was a little surprised,
but after thinking about it for
a few minutes she was as easily
able to account for the ladies'
civility as the gentlemen's.
They were anxious to oblige

her.

As for the gentlemen, she
had never doubted, from the
moment of setting eyes on her
goddaughter, that that fairy
figure and charming counten-
ance could fail to attract in-
stant admiration.

None of these conclusions
quite explained the morning
visits of several high-nosed
ladies of fashion, whose civili

ties towards Lady Bridlington
had hitherto consisted of in-
vitations to their larger Assem-
blies, and bows exchanged
from their respective carriages.

Lady Somercote was par-
ticularly puzzling. She ex-
pressed the greatest admiration
for Arabella, whom she met at
the theatre with her god-

mother.

"A delightful girl!" she said
graciously. "Very well-be-
haved, and without the least
hint of pretension in her dress
or bearing!"

Lady Bridlington agreed to
it, and since her mind did not
move rapidly it was not until
her guest was well into her
next observation that she won-
dered why Arabella should be
supposed to show pretension.

"Of good family, I appre-
hend?" said Lady Somercote,
carelessly, but looking rather
searchingly at her hostess.

"Of course!" replied Lady
Bridlington, with dignity. "A
most respected Yorkshire
family!"

Lady Somercote nodded. "I
thought as much. Excellent
manners and conducts herself
with perfect propriety! And
her dress, too! Nothing vul-
gar, such as one too often sees
nowadays. Somercote was
much struck. You must bring
her to Grosvenor Square next
week, dear Lady Bridlington

Nothing formal, you kn a
few friends only, and perhaps
the young people may gel up

a little dance."

Lady Bridlington was shi ud
enough to know that more than
a compliment to herself t:,ust
lie behind this unexpi ed
honor, and was at a lo td
discover thc lady's motivt

was the mother of five hope
ful and expensive sons, and it
was well known that the
Somercote estates were heavily
mortgaged.

Advantageous marri, ¿es
were a necessity to the Somer-
cotes' progeny and no one was
more purposeful in her pur-
suit of a likely heiress

their mama. For a dism d
instant Lady Bridlington w in-
dexed whether, in her aro rt
to assist Arabella, she had i on
cealed her circumstances too
well.

She could not recall, h tv
ever, that she had ever so
much as mentioned them. In-
deed, her recollection was . jt
she had taken care never to
do so.

The Honorable Mrs. Penk
ridge, calling on her dear
friend for the express purpose
of bidding her and her pro-
tegee to a select Mus a|
Soiree, and explaining. til
apologies, how it was due
to the stupidity of a se*-e
tary that her card of in ,

tion had not reached her

since, spoke in even warmer
terms of Arabella.

"Charming, quite charm-
ing!" she declared, bestm ig
her frosted smile upon Lady
Bridlington. "She will th iw
all our beauties into the
shade! That simplicity is so
particularly pleasing! "Sou
are to be congratulated!"

However perplexed I. iv
Bridlington might be by this
speech, issuing, as it did, ft m
the lips of one famed for i
haughtiness as much as for er
acid tongue, it seemed at If ist
to dispose of the suspi< on
roused in her mind by I I5
Somercote's visit. The Pi ab-
ridges were a childless couple

But Lady Bridlington was
not well enough acquaiü'fd
with Mrs. Penkridge to know
that almost the only sign of

human emotion she had ( er

been seen to betray was her
doting fondness for r
nephew. Mr. Horace Epwo h

This elegant gentlerr an,
complete to a point as re-
gards side-whiskers, fobs, seals,
quizzing-glass, and scented
handkerchief, had lately
honored his aunt with one of

his infrequent visits. Surpr d
and delighted, she had beg ii
to know in what way she ci ld
be of service to him. Mr. Ep-
worth had no hesitation in
telling her.

"You might put me in the
way of meeting the new heiress,
ma'am," he said frankly.
"Dev'lish fine gal-regular
Croesus, too!"

She had pricked up her

ears at that and exclaimed:

"Whom can you be thinkms
of, my dear Horace? If v >u
mean that Flint chit, I have
it for a fact that-"

"Pooh! Nothing of the sort!

interrupted Mr. Epworth, w. \
ing the Flint chit away with
one white and languid hal d
"I dare say she has no nu rf
than thirty thousand pounds!
This gal is so rich she puts
'em all in the shade. The}
call her the Lady Dives."

"Who calls her so?" de-
manded his incredulous rela-
tive.

Please turn to page 30

ïa, IT OL b G11 Cl Continued from page 8

M R. EPWORTH

again waved his hand, this
time in the direction he

vaguely judged to be north-

ward.

"Oh, up there somewhere,
ma'am!" he stated. "Yorkshire
or some other of those dev'lish

remote counties. Dare say
she's a merchant's daughter;

wool or cotton or some such

thing. Pity, but I shan't re-
gard it; they tell me she's
charming!"

"I have heard nothing of

this! Who is she? Who told

you she was charming?"

"Had it from Fleetwood last

night, at the Great Go."

"That rattle! I wish you
will not go so often to Watier's,
Horace. I warn you, it is use-
less to apply to me. I have
not a guinea left in the world,

and I dare not ask Mr. Penk

ridge to assist you until he
has forgotten the last time."

"Put me in the way of meet-
ing this gal and I'll kiss my
fingers to Penkridge, ma'am,"
responded Mr. Epworth. "Ac-
quainted with Lady Bridling
ton, ain't you? The gal's stay-
ing there."

She stared at him. "If Ara-
bella Bridlington had an
heiress staying with her, she

would have boasted of it all
over town!"

"No, she wouldn't. Fleet-
wood particularly told me that
the gal don't want it known.
Don't like being courted for
her fortune. Pretty gal, too,
by what Fleetwood says. Name

of Tallant."

"I never heard of a Tallant

in all my life."

"But, ma'am, why should
you? Keep telling you she

comes from some outlandish

place in the north."

"I would not set the least

store by anything Fleetwood

told me!"

I "Oh, it ain't him!" said Mr.

Rpworth cheerfully. "He don't
know the name, either. It's
Beaumaris. Knows all about

the family. Vouches for the
gal."

Her expression changed; a
still sharper look entered her
eyes. She said quickly:

"Beaumaris?" He nodded.

"If he vouches for her-is

she presentable?"

He looked shocked. " 'Pon

my soul, ma'am, you can't be
in your senses to ask me such
a question! I put it to you,

would Beaumaris vouch for a

gal that wasn't up to the

echo?"

"No, no, he would not," she
said decidedly. "If it's true,
and she has no vulgar con-
nections, it would be the very
thing for you, my dear

Horace."

"Just what I was thinking
myself, ma'am," said her
nephew.

"I will pay Lady Bridling-
ton a morning visit," said Mrs.
Penkridge.

"That's it: do the pretty!"
Mr. Epworth encouraged her.

"It is tiresome, for I have
never been upon intimate terms
with her. However, this alters
the circumstances. Leave it to
me!"

Lady Bridlington did not
expect Arabella's first party to
be a failure, since she was a
good hostess and never offered
her guests any but the best
wines and refreshments, but
that it should prove to be a

wild success had not even en-
tered her head.

She had planned it more
with the idea of bringing
Arabella to the notice of other
hostesses than as a brilliant
social event; and although she
had invited a good many un-
attached men she had little

hope of seeing more than half
of them in her spacious rooms.

Her main preoccupation was
lest Arabella should not be

looking her best or should
jeopardise her future by some

unconventional action or some

unlucky reference to that re-
grettable vicarage home.

All in all, the child behaved
very prettily, but once or twice
she had seriously alarmed hei
patroness either by a remark
which betrayed all too clearly
the modesty of her circum-
stances-as when she had
asked, in front of the butler,
whether she should help pre-
pare the rooms for the party
or by some action so odd as to
be positively outrageous.

Lady Bridlington would not
readily forget the scene outside
the Bazaar when she and
Arabella, emerging from this
mart, found a heavy waggon
stationary in the road, with
one scraggy horse between its
shafts straining under an un-
sparing lash to set it in motion.

At one instant a demure

young lady had been at Lady
Bridlington's side; at the next
a flaming fury was confronting
the astonished waggoner, com-
manding him, with a stamp of
one little foot, to get down
from the waggon at once-at

once-and not to dare to raise

his whip again!

He got down, quite bemused,

and stood in front of the small

fury, an ox of a man, who
cowered away while she be-
rated him. When he had re-
covered his wits he attempted
to justify himself, but failed
signally. He was a cruel
wretch, unfit to be in charge of
a horse, and a dolt besides not
to perceive that one of the
wheels was jammed, and
through his own bad driving

no doubt!

He began to be angry and
to shout Arabella down, but
by this time a couple of chair-
men, abandoning their empty
vehicle, came across the square,
expressing their willingness to
champion the lady.

Arabella told the chairmen
briskly that she would have no
fighting, bade the waggoner ob-
serve the obstruction against
which one of his rear wheels

was jammed, herself went to
the horse's head and began to
back him.

The chairmen promptly
lent their aid; Arabella ad-
dressed a short, pithv lecture
to the waggoner on the folly
and injustice of losing one's
temper with animals and re-
joined her godmother, saying
calmly, "It is mostly ignor-
ance, you know!"

And although she did, when
shown the impropriety of her
behaviour, say she was sorry
to have made a scene in public,
it was evident that she was
not in the least penitent. She
said that Papa would have told
her it was her duty to inter-

fere.

But no representations could
induce her to say she was sorry
for her unbecoming conduct
two days later, when she en-
tered her bedchamber to find
a very junior housemaid, with
a swollen face, lighting the fire.

It appeared that the girl had

toothache.

Lady Bridlington had no de-
sire that any of her servants
should suffer from toothache.
But to bid the sufferer seat
herself in the armchair in the

best guest chamber, to give her
an Indian silk shawl to wrap
round her head and to disturb

one's hostess during the sacred
hour of her afternoon nap by
bursting in upon her with a
demand for laudanum, was
carrying benevolence to quite
undesirable lengths.

LADY BRID-

LINGTON did her best to

convey the sense of her views
to Arabella, but she spoke to

deaf ears.

"Dear ma'am, the poor girl
is in great pain and I assure
you she. is in no case to be toil-
ing up and down all these
stairs with coal scuttles," said
Arabella earnestly. "She
should take some drops of

laudanum and lie down on her
bed."

"Oh, very well," said her
ladyship, yielding to the
stronger will. "But there is
no occasion for you to be put-
ting yourself in this state, my
dear! And to be asking one of

the under-housemaids to sit

down in your bedroom and
giving her one of your best

shawls-"

"No, no. I have only lent
it to her," Arabella said. "She
is from the country, you know,
ma'am, and I think the other
servants have not used her. as
they ought. She was home-
sick, and so unhappy! I do

believe she wanted someone to
be kind to her more than any-
thing else! She has been tell-
ing me about her home^ and

her little sisters and brothers
and-"

"Arabella!" uttered Lady
Biidlington, "Surely you have
not been gossiping with the
servants?" She saw her young
guest stiffen and added has-
tily, "I expect you meant it
for the best, mv dear, but you
have no notion how-"

"I hope, ma'am-indeed, I
know!" said Arabella, her eyes
very bright and her small
figure alarmingly rigid, "that
not one of Papa's children
would pass by a fellow creature
in distress!"

It was fast being borne in
upon Lady Bridlington that

the Reverend Tallant was not

only a grave handicap to s
daughter's social advancers t
but a growing menace to her

own comfort.

She was naturally unable >
express this conviction to Ar i
bella, so she sank back on 1 r
pillows, saying feebly, "Oh,
very well, but if people we e
to hear of it they would thii k
it excessively odd in you, my
dear!"

Whatever anyone else might
think, it soon became pla n
that the episode had given h -
ladyship's upper servants t

poorest idea of Arabell s
social standing.

Her ladyship's person

maid, a sharp-faced spinst r
who had grown to middle a e
in her service, ventured to hii

while she was dressing h r
mistress' hair that evenir,...
that it was easy to see M -
was not accustomed to li vi: e

in large and genteel hous -

holds.

Lady Bridlington allowi :
Miss Clara Crowie a good di

of licence, but this was goit
too far. In a few dignific
well-chosen words, she ga.
her henchwoman to undc
stand that Miss Tallant can
from a mansion of awe-inspi
ing gentility and was qu;
above considering appen

anees.

She added, to clinch tl
matter, that very different cu

toms obtained in the non
from those common in Londo

Miss Crowie, a little cowe>
but with a sting yet left :
her tongue, sniffed and sai

"So I have always understooi
my lady!" She then encoun
ered her mistress' eyes in th
mirror and added obsequious!

"Not but what I am sure n.
one would ever suspect Mi
came from the north, my lad\
so prettily as she speaks!"

Miss Clara Crowie migl.
be silenced but Arabella
reprehensible conduct gav

her hostess some seriou
qualms and caused her t
anticipate her evening parr
with less than her usual plac
idity.

But nothing could have gon«
off better. To ensure that ir
appearance at least Arabell.
should do her credit, Lads
Bridlington sent no less a per

sonage than Miss Crowie her
self to put the finishing
touches to her toilet.

Please turn to page 37

jJS^ J Q_ © 11 O, Continued from page 30

M ISS CROWLE

»xas not best pleased by her
assk intent, but it was many
i since she had dressed

e young and beautiful,
and n spite of herself her en
thu* ism awoke when she saw
ho» delightfully Arabella's
gown of jonquil crepe became
her, and how tasteful was the

d scarf hanging over

her arms.

She saw at a glance that she
could scarcely better the
simple arrangement of those
soft curls, twisted into a high
kno: on the top of her head,
and with the short ringlets
alloted to fall over her ears,
but *he begged Miss to permit
her to place her flowers more
becomingly.

Mer cunning hands deftly
placed the spray of artificial
roses at just the right angle,

and she was so well-satisfied
with the result that she said
M ss would be quite the belle
of the evening.

Arabella, unaware of how
greatly Miss Crowie was con

ding to her, only
laughed.

She was embarking on her
first London party enormously
heartened by the arrival, not
an hour earlier, of her first
London posy of flowers, a
charming bouquet tied up-so
fortunately - with long yel-

low ribbons. Lord Fleetwood's
card accompanied the tribute
and was even now propped up
against the mirror. Miss
Crowie saw it and was im-

pressed.

Lady Bridlington, presently
setting eyes on Arabella just
before dinner was announced,
was delighted, and reflected
that Sophia Theale had always
had exquisite taste. Nothing

could have set Arabella off to

greater advantage than that
delicate yellow robe, orna-
mented with clasps of tiny

roses to match those in her
hair.

The only jewellery she wore
was the ring Papa had had

made for her and Grand-
mamma's necklet of pearls.

"Very nice, my love," she
said approvingly. "You know,"
she went on, "you must not be
experting a squeeze! I am
sure f hope to see mv drawing
rooms respectably filled, but it
is early in the year still, so you
must not be cast down if you
do not see as many people as
you might have supposed you

would."

She might have spared her
breath. By half-past ten her
drawing-rooms were full to
overflowing and she was still
standing at the head of the
stairs receiving latecomers.
Nothing, she thought dizzily,
had ever been like it!

The haughty Mrs. Penk
ridge, escorted by her dandi-
fied nephew, had been among
the earliest arrivals, unbending
amazingly to Arabella and beg-
ging leave to introduce Mr.
Epworth. Lord Fleetwood and
his crony, Mr. Oswald Wark-
worth, were there, both hover-
ing assiduously near Arabella,
very full of gallantry and good
spirits. Lady Bridlington felt
»hat her cup was full.

However, it was to overflow.

Last of all the guests, arriving
after eleven o'clock, when her
ladyship was on the point of
abandoning her post and join-
ing her guests in the drawing
rooms, Mr. Beaumaris arrived,
and came unhurriedly up the

stairs.

Her ladyship awaited him
with a bosom swelling beneath
its rich covering of purple
satin, and her hand, clasping
her fan, trembling slightly

under the influence of the

accumulated triumphs of this
night.

He greeted her with his cool
civility, and she replied with
tolerable composure, thanking
him for his kind offices, in
Lincolnshire, towards her god-
daughter.

"A pleasure, ma'am," said
Mr. Beaumaris. "I trust Miss
Tallant reached town without

further mishap?"

"Oh, yes, indeed! So oblig-
ing of you to have called to
inquire after her! We were
sorry to have been out. You
will find Miss Tallant in one
of the rooms."

He bowed, and followed her
into the front drawing-room.
A minute later, Arabella, en-
joying the attentions of Mr.
Epworth, saw him coming to-
wards her across the room,
pausing once or twice on his
way to exchange salutations

with his friends.

Until that moment she had
thought Mr. Epworth quite
the best-dressed man present;
indeed, she had been almost
stunned by the exquisite nature
of his raiment and the pro-
fusion of rings, pins, fobs,

chains and seals which he
wore. But no sooner had she

clapped eyes on Mr. Beau-
maris' tall, manly figure than
she realised that Mr. Ep
worth's wadded shoulders,
wasp waist, and startling

waistcoat were ridiculous.

Nothing could have been
in greater contrast to the ex-
travagance of his attire than

Mr. Beaumaris' dark blue coat

and breeches, his plain white
waistcoat, and the single fob
that hung to one side of it, the
single pearl set chastely in the

intricate folds of his necktie.

Nothing he wore was designed
to attract attention, but he
made every other man in the
room look either a trifle over-
dressed or a trifle shabby.

He reached her side and
smiled and, when she put out
her hand, raised it fleetingly
to his lips.

"How do you do, Miss Tal-
lant?" he said. "I am happy
indeed to have been granted
this opportunity of renewing
my acquaintance with you."

"Oh, it is too bad-a great
deal too bad!" fluted Mr. Ep-
worth, rolling an arch eye at

Arabella. "You and Fleet-
wood have stolen a march on
the rest of us, you know - a
shameful thing, 'pon my

soul!"

Mr. Beaumaris glanced at
him from his superior height,
seeming to debate within him-
self whether his sally was
worth the trouble of a reply,

and, deciding it wasn't, turned

back to Arabella.

"You must tell me how you
like London," he said. "It
is abundantly plain that Lon-
don likes you! May I procure
you a glass of lemonade?"

This offer brought Arabella's
chin up and made her look at
him with a challenge in her
eyes.' She had had plenty of

time to discover that it was
not the common practice of
hosts to sweep the wine from

their tables at the end of the

first course and she suspected
him of quizzing her.

He looked perfectly grave,
however, and met her eyes
without a shadow of mockery

in his own.

Before she could answer him,
Lord Fleetwood exclaimed:

"Of course! I'll swear you
are parched with thirst,
ma'am! I will get you a glass
immediately!"

"Splendid, Richard!" said
Mr. Beaumaris cordially. "Do
let me take you a little out of
this crush, Miss Tallant!"

He led her to where a sofa
against one wall stood momen-
tarily unoccupied. How he
contrived to find a way
through the crowd of chat-
tering guests was a mystery
to Arabella, for he certainly
did not force a passage. A
touch on a shoulder, a bow
and a smile, and the thing

was done.

S EATING himself

beside Arabella on the sofa,
watching her face carefully,
Mr. Beaumaris asked with a
smile, "Does it come up to
your expectations, ma'am?"

"London? Yes, indeed!"
she responded. "I am sure I
was never so happy in my

life!"

"I am glad," he said.

Arabella remembered that
Lady Bridlington had warned
her against betraying too much
enthusiasm. She remembered,
too, that she had promised
not to make a bad impression
on Mr. Beaumaris, so she
added in a languid tone, "It
is a shocking squeeze, of
course, but it is alwavs divert-
ing to meet new people."

He looked amused, and said
with a lautrh in his voice, "No,
don't spoil it! Your first an-
swer was charming."

She eyed him doubtfully for
a moment, then her irresistible
dimples peeped out. "But it
is only rustics who own to en-
joyment, sir!"

"Is it?" he returned.

"You, I am persuaded, do
not enjoy such an assembly as

this!"

"You are mistaken; my en-
joyment depends on the com-
pany in which I find myself."

"That," said Arabella,
naively, "is quite the prettiest
thing that has been said to me
to-night!"

"Then I can only suppose,
Miss Tallant, that Fleetwood
and Warkworth were unable
to find words to express their
appreciation of the exquisite
picture you present. Strange!
I formed the opinion that they

were paying you all manner
of compliments."

She laughed. "Yes, but it
was nonsense! I did not be-
lieve a word they said."

"I hope you believe what I
say, however, for I am very
much in earnest."

The light tone he used

seemed to belie his words. Ara-

bella found him baffling and
directed another of her specu-
lative glances at him. She

decided that he must be an-
swered in kind, and said dar-
ingly: "Are you being so ob-
liging as to bring me into
fashion, Mr. Beaumaris?"

He let his eyes travel around
the crowded room, his brows
a little raised. "You do not

appear to me to stand in any
need of my assistance, ma'am."
He perceived that Lord Fleet-
wood was edging his way past
a knot of people, a glass in his
hand, and waited for him to
reach the sofa.

"Thank you, Richard," he
said coolly, taking the glass
from his lordship and present-
ing it to Arabella.

"You," said Lord Fleet-
wood with deep feeling, "will
receive a message from me in
the morning, Robert! This is
the most bare-faced piracy I
ever beheld in my life. Miss
Tallant, I wish you will send
the fellow about his business;
his effrontery goes beyond
what is allowable!"

"You must learn not to act

on impulse," said Mr. Beau-
maris kindly. "A moment's
reflection, the least touch of
adroitness, and it would have
been I who fetched the lemon-

ade and you who had the
privilege of sitting beside Miss

Tallant on this sofa."

"But it is Lord Fleetwood

who earns my gratitude, for
he was the more chivalrous,"

said Arabella.

"Miss Tallant, I thank you."
Lord Fleetwood bowed grace-
fully.

"You have been amply re-
warded, Robert, and have now
nothing to do but to take
yourself off," said Mr. Beau-

maris.

"Not for the world!" de-
clared his lordship.

Mr. Beaumaris sighed. "How
often I have had to deplore
your lack of tact!" he said.

1 Arabella, sparkling under

the influence of all this ex-

citing banter, raised her posy
to her nose and said, with a
grateful look cast up at Fleet-
wood, "I stand doubly in
Lord Fleetwood's debt!"

"No, no, it is I who stand
in yours, ma'am, since you
deigned to accept my poor

tribute."

Mr. Beaumaris glanced at
the posy and smiled slightly,
but said nothing. Arabella,
catching sight of Mr. Epworth,
who was hovering hopefully
in the vicinity, suddenly said,
"Mr. Beaumaris, who is that
oddly dressed man?"

Mr. Beaumaris looked
around, but said, "There are
so many oddly dressed men
present, Miss Tallant, that I

fear I am at a loss. You do
not mean poor Fleetwood

here?"

"Of course I do not!" ex-
claimed Arabella indignantly.

"Well, I am sure it would
be difficult to find anything
odder than that waistcoat he
wears. It is very disheartening,
for I have really expended a
great deal of time in trying to
reform his taste. Ah, I think
I see whom you must mean.
That, Miss Tallant, is Horace
Epworth. In his own estima-
tion, he undoubtedly personi-
fies a set of creatures whom I
have reason to believe you
despise."

Blushing hotly, Arabella
asked, "Is he-a dandy?"

"He would certainly like
you to think so."

"Well, if he is," said Ara-
bella frankly, "I am sure you
are no such thing, and I beg
your pardon for saying it that
evening!"

"Don't apologise to him,
ma'am," said Lord Fleetwood
gaily. "It is time someone gave
him a set-down, and that, I
assure you, smote him with
stunning effect! You must

know that he thinks himself a
notable Corinthian!"

"What is that, pray?" in-
quired Arabella.

"A Corinthian, ma'am, be-
sides being a very Tulip of
Fashion, is an amateur of

sport, a master of swordsplay,
and deadly fellow with a pistol,
a Nonpareil amongst whips,

a-"

Mr. Beaumaris interrupted
this mocking solemn cata-
logue. "If you will be such a
dead bore, Richard, you will
provoke me to explain to Miss

Tallant what the world means

when it calls you a sad rattle."

"Well?" demanded Arabella
mischievously.

"A fribble, ma'am, not worth
your attention," he replied,
rising to his feet. "I see my

cousin over there and must

pay my respects to her."

He smiled, bowed and
moved away, stayed for a
minute or two talking to Lady
Wainfleet, drank a glass of
wine with Mr. Warkworth,
complimented his hostess on
the success of her party, and
departed, having done precisely
what he had set out to do,
which was to place Miss Tal
lant's feet securely on the

ladder of fashion.

The news would be all over
town within twenty-four hours
that the rich Miss Tallant was
the Nonpareil's latest flirt.

To be continued

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