’He is not an elected legislator.  It makes all the difference.  I quite agree with what the Duke says.  Lord Popplecourt can’t help himself.  Whether he’s an idle young scamp or not, he must be a legislator.  But when a man goes into if for himself, as you have done, he should make up his mind to be useful.’

‘I shall vote with my party of course.’

’More than that, much more than that. if you didn’t care for politics you couldn’t have taken that line of your own.’  When she said this she knew that he had been talked into what he had done by Tregear,—­by Tregear, who had ambition, and intelligence, and capacity for forming an opinion of his own.  ’If you do not do it for your own sake, you will for the sake of those who,—­who,—­who are your friends,’ she said at last, not feeling quite able to tell him that he must do it for the sake of those that loved him.

‘There are not very many I suppose who care about it.’

‘Your father.’

‘Oh yes,—­my father.’

‘And Tregear.’

‘Tregear has got his own fish to fry.’

’Are there none others?  Do you think we care nothing about it here?’

‘Miss Cassewary?’

’Well;—­Miss Cassewary!  A man might have a worse friend than Miss Cassewary;—­and my father.’

‘I don’t suppose Lord Grex cares a straw about me.’

’Indeed he does,—­a great many straws.  And so do I. Do you think I don’t care a straw about you?’

‘I don’t know why you should.’

’Because it is in my nature to be earnest.  A girl comes out into the world so young that she becomes serious, and steady as it were, so much sooner than a man does.’

’I always think that nobody is so full of chaff as you are, Lady Mab.’

’I am not chaffing now in recommending you go to work in the world like a man.’  As she said this they were sitting on the same sofa, but with some space between them.  When Miss Cassewary had left the room Lord Silverbridge was standing, but after a little he had fallen into the seat, at the extreme corner, and had gradually come a little nearer to her.  Now in her energy she put our her hand, meaning perhaps to touch lightly the sleeve of his coat, meaning perhaps not quite to touch him at all.  But as she did so he put out his hand and took hold of hers.

She drew it away, not seeming to allow it to remain in his grasp for a moment, but she did so, not angrily, or hurriedly, or with any flurry.  She did it as though it were natural that he should take her hand and as natural that she should recover it.  ’Indeed I have hardly more than ten minutes left before dressing,’ she said, rising from her seat.

’If you will say that you care about it, you yourself, I will do my best.’  As he made this declaration blushes covered his cheeks and forehead.

‘I do care about it,—­very much; I myself,’ said Lady Mabel, not blushing at all.  Then there was a knock at the door, and Lady Mabel’s maid, putting her head in, declared that my Lord had come in and had already been some time in the dressing-room.  ’Good-bye, Lord Silverbridge,’ she said quite gaily, and rather more aloud than would have been necessary, had she not intended that the maid should also hear her.