Then Lord Doraine came up and Lady Doraine introduced him to me, and he said a number of nice things, and he has a charming voice; and Mr. Wertz came up too, and spoke to me; and then Lady Doraine called Lord Valmond to come and sit on the little sofa by her, and she looked at him so fondly that I thought perhaps Lord Doraine might not like it.  He tried not to see, but Mr. Wertz did, and I think he must have a kind heart, because he fidgeted so, and almost at once went and joined them to break up the tete-a-tete, so that Lord Doraine might not be teased any more, I suppose.  And every one went to bed rather early, because of the ball and shoot to-morrow, and I must jump in too, as I am sleepy, so good-night, dearest Mamma.—­Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth.

Chevenix Castle,

9th November.

[Sidenote:  The Peers’ Sad Case]

Dearest Mamma,—­Such a lot to tell you, and no time, as I must go down to tea.  We passed rather a boring morning after the men had started for their shoot.  Only a few people were down for breakfast, and none of the men who weren’t guns.  I suppose they were asleep.  But Lady Grace Fenton was as cross as a bear because she wanted to go and shoot too.  She is just like a man, and does look so odd and almost improper in the evening in female dress.  And Tom won’t have women out shooting, except for lunch.  Lady Doraine and Lady Greswold talked by the fire while they smoked, and Lady Greswold said she really did not know where the peers were to turn to now to make an honest penny, their names being no more good in the City, and that it was abominably hard that now, she had heard, they would have to understand business and work just like ordinary Stock Exchange people if they wanted to get on, and she did not know what things were coming to.

At lunch, in the chalet in the wood, it was rather fun.  Mr. Hodgkinson and Lord Doraine sat on either side of me.  Lord Valmond came up with the last guns, rather late, and he looked round the table and frowned.  He seems quite grumpy now, not half so good-tempered as he used to be.  I expect it is because Mrs. Smith isn’t here.

Mr. Wertz was so beautifully turned out in the newest clothes and the loveliest stockings, and he had two loaders and three guns, and Lord Doraine told me that he had killed three pheasants, but the ground was knee-deep in cartridges round him, and Tom was furious, as he likes an enormous bag.  So I asked why, if Mr. Wertz was not a sportsman, had he taken the huge Quickham shoot in Norfolk?  Then Mr. Hodgkinson chimed in:  “Oh! to entertain Royalty and the husbands of his charming lady friends!” and he fixed his eyeglass and looked round the corner of it at Lord Doraine, who drank a glass of peach brandy.

After lunch the men had to start quickly, as we had dawdled so, and so we turned to go back to the house.