“What do you mean?” says she, stopping short before Miss Knollys, and speaking with ill-suppressed rage.  “Who is she, that she should refuse him?  That little, contemptible child!  That nobody!  I tell you, she would not dare refuse him if she asked her!  It would be too great an honour for her.”

She stops.  Her fingers tighten on her gown.  Then, as suddenly as it grew, her ungovernable fit of anger seems to die checked, killed by her own will.  She sinks into the chair behind her, and looks deliberately at Margaret with an air that, if not altogether smiling, is certainly altogether calm.  It must have cost her a good deal to do it.

“It is beyond argument,” says she; “he will not ask her.”

“He shall," says Lady Rylton in a low tone.

Margaret rises, and moves slowly towards one of the open windows; she pauses there a moment, then steps out on to the balcony, and so escapes.  These incessant discussions are abhorrent to her, and just now her heart is sad for the poor child who has been brought down here ostensibly for amusement, in reality for business.  Of course, Maurice will not marry her—­she knows Maurice, he is far above all that sort of thing; but the very attempt at the marriage seems to cover the poor child with insult.  And she is such a pretty child.

At this moment the pretty child, with Randal Gower, comes round the corner; she has her skirt caught up at one side, and Miss Knollys can see it is full of broken biscuits.  The pulling up of the skirt conduces a good deal to the showing of a lovely little foot and ankle, and Margaret, who has the word “hoyden” still ringing in her ears, and can see Lady Rylton’s cold, aristocratic, disdainful face, wishes the girl had had the biscuit in a basket.

“Oh, here is Miss Knollys!” cries Tita, running to her.  “We are going to feed the swans” (she looks back at her companion).  “He has got some more biscuits in his pockets.”

“It’s quite true,” says Mr. Gower; “I’m nothing but biscuits.  Every pocket’s full of ’em, and they’ve gone to dust.  I tried to blow my nose a moment ago, but I couldn’t.  One can’t blow one’s nose in biscuit.”

“Come with us, Miss Knollys—­do,” says Tita coaxingly.

“I can’t.  Not now.  I can’t,” says Margaret, who is a little troubled at heart.  “Go, dear child, and feed the swans, and take care of her, Randy—­take care of her.”

“I’ll do my best,” says Mr. Gower, with much solemnity; “but it’s small—­very small.  As a rule, Miss Bolton takes care of me.”

Margaret gives him a last admonitory glance and turns away.  In truth, Mr. Gower is but a broken reed to lean upon.

CHAPTER III.

HOW LADY RYLTON SAYS A FEW THINGS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER LEFT UNSAID.  HOW “THE SCHEME” IS LAID BEFORE SIR MAURICE, AND HOW HE REFUSES TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.