A little while afterwards the butler came in in a horribly sudden manner, and found Augusta and Eustace, the one very red and the other very pale, standing suspiciously close to each other.  But he was a very well-trained butler and a man of experience, who had seen much and guessed more; and he looked innocent as a babe unborn.

Just then, too, Lady Holmhurst came in again and looked at the pair of them with an amusing twinkle in her eye.  Lady Holmhurst, like her butler, was also a person of experience.

“Won’t you come into the drawing room?” she said.  And they did, looking rather sheepish.

And there Eustace made a clean breast of it, announcing that they were engaged to be married.  And although this was somewhat of an assumption, seeing that no actual words of troth had passed between them, Augusta stood there, never offering a word in contradiction.

“Well, Mr. Meeson,” said Lady Holmhurst, “I think that you are the luckiest man of my acquaintance, for Augusta is not only one of the sweetest and loveliest girls that I have ever met, she is also the bravest and the cleverest.  You will have to look out, Mr. Meeson, or you will be known as the husband of the great Augusta Meeson.”

“I will take the risk,” he answered humbly.  “I know that Augusta has more brains in her little finger than I have in my whole body.  I don’t know how she can look at a fellow like me.”

“Dear me, how humble we are!” said Lady Holmhurst.  “Well, that is the way of men before marriage.  And now, as Augusta carries both your fortunes on her back as well as in her face and brain, I venture to suggest that you had better go and see a lawyer about the matter; that is, if you have quite finished your little talk.  I suppose that you will come and dine with us, Mr. Meeson, and if you like to come a little early, say half-past six, I daresay that Augusta will arrange to be in, to hear what you have found out about this will, you know.  And now—­an revoir.”

“I think that that is a very nice young man, my dear,” said Lady Holmhurst as soon as Eustace had bowed himself out.  “It was rather audacious of him to propose to you the fourth time that he set eyes upon you; but I think that audacity is, on the whole, a good quality in the male sex.  Another thing is, that if that will is worth anything he will be one of the wealthiest men in the whole of England; so, taking it altogether, I think I may congratulate you, my dear.  And now I suppose that you have been in love with this young man all along.  I guessed as much when I saw your face as he ran up to the carriage yesterday, and I was sure of it when I heard about the tattooing.  No girl would allow herself to be tattooed in the interest of abstract justice.  Oh, yes!  I know all about it; and now I am going out walking in the park with Dick, and I should advise you to compose yourself, for that artist is coming to draw you at twelve.”