The Duke himself when he saw the young man was hardly more comfortable.  He had brought his daughter to Custins, feeling that it was his duty to be with her; but he would have preferred to leave the whole operation to the care of Lady Cantrip.  He hardly liked to look at the fish whom he wished to catch for his daughter.  Whenever this aspect of affairs presented itself to him, he would endeavour to console himself by remembering the past success of a similar transaction.  He thought of his own first interview with his wife.  ‘You have heard,’ he said, ’what our friends wish.’  She had pouted her lips, and when gently pressed had at last muttered, with her shoulder turned to him, that she supposed it was to be so.  Very much more coercion had been used to her than either himself or Lady Cantrip had dared to apply to his daughter.  He did not think that his girl in her present condition of mind would signify to Lord Popplecourt that she ’supposed it was to be so’.  Now that the time for the transaction was present he felt almost sure that it would never be transacted.  But still he must go on with it.  Were he now to abandon his scheme, would it not be tantamount to abandoning everything?  So he wreathed his face in smiles,—­or made some attempt at it,—­as he greeted the young man.

‘I hope you and Lady Mary had a pleasant journey abroad,’ said Lord Popplecourt.  Lord Popplecourt being aware that he had been chosen as a son-in-law felt himself called upon to be familiar as well as pleasant.  ’I often thought of you and Lady Mary, and wondered what you were about.’

’We were visiting lakes and mountains, churches and picture galleries, cities, and salt mines,’ said the Duke.

‘Does Lady Mary like that sort of thing?’

’I think she was pleased with what she saw.

’She has been abroad a great deal before, I believe.  It depends so much on whom you meet when abroad.’

This was unfortunate because it recalled Tregear to the Duke’s mind.  ‘We saw very few people whom we knew,’ he said.

’I’ve been shooting in Scotland with Silverbridge, and Gerald, and Reginald Dobbes, and Nidderdale,—­and that fellow Tregear, who is so thick with Silverbridge.’

‘Indeed!’

’I’m told that Lord Gerald is going to be the great shot of the day,’ said Lady Cantrip.

‘It is a distinction,’ said the Duke bitterly.

‘He did not beat me by so much,’ continued Popplecourt.  ’I think Tregear did the best with his rifle.  One morning he potted three.  Dobbes was disgusted.  He hated Tregear.’

‘Isn’t it stupid,—­half-a-dozen men getting together in that way?’ asked Lady Cantrip.

‘Nidderdale is always jolly.’

‘I am glad to hear that,’ said the mother-in-law.

‘And Gerald is a regular brick.’ the Duke bowed.  ’Silverbridge used always to be going off to Killancodlem, where there were a lot of ladies.  He is very sweet, you know, on this American girl whom you have here.’  Again the Duke winced.  ’Dobbes is awfully good as to making out the shooting, but then he his a tyrant.  Nevertheless I agree with him, if you mean to do a thing you should do it.’