Molly found Lord Hollingford, the wise and learned Lord Hollingford, strangely stupid in understanding the mystery of ’Cross hands and back again, down the middle and up again.’  He was constantly getting hold of the wrong hands, and as constantly stopping when he had returned to his place, quite unaware that the duties of society and the laws of the dance required that he should go on capering till he had arrived at the bottom of the room.  He perceived that he had performed his part very badly, and apologized to Molly when once they had arrived at that haven of comparative peace, and he expressed his regret so simply and heartily that she felt at her ease with him at once, especially when he had confided to her his reluctance at having to dance at all, and his only doing it under his sister’s compulsion.  To Molly he was an elderly widower, almost as old as her father, and by-and-by they got into very pleasant conversation.  She learnt from him that Roger Hamley had just been publishing a paper in some scientific periodical, which had excited considerable attention, as it was intended to confute some theory of a great French physiologist, and Roger’s article proved the writer to be possessed of a most unusual amount of knowledge on the subject.  This piece of news was of great interest to Molly, and, in her questions, she herself evinced so much intelligence, and a mind so well prepared for the reception of information, that Lord Hollingford at any rate would have felt his quest of popularity a very easy affair indeed, if he might have gone on talking quietly to Molly during the rest of the evening.  When he took her back to her place, he found Mr. Gibson there, and fell into talk with him, until Lady Harriet once more came to stir him up to his duties.  Before very long, however, he returned to Mr. Gibson’s side, and began telling him of this paper of Roger Hamley’s, of which Mr. Gibson had not yet heard.  In the midst of their conversation, as they stood close by Mrs. Gibson, Lord Hollingford saw Molly in the distance, and interrupted himself to say, ’What a charming little lady that daughter of yours is!  Most girls of her age are so difficult to talk to; but she is intelligent and full of interest in all sorts of sensible things; well read, too—­she was up in Le Regne Animal—­and very pretty!’

Mr. Gibson bowed, much pleased at such a compliment from such a man, was he lord or not.  It is very likely that if Molly had been a stupid listener, Lord Hollingford would not have discovered her beauty, or the converse might be asserted—­if she had not been young and pretty he would not have exerted himself to talk on scientific subjects in a manner which she could understand.  But in whatever manner Molly had won his approbation and admiration, there was no doubt that she had earned it somehow.  And, when she next returned to her place, Mrs. Gibson greeted her with soft words and a gracious smile; for it does not require much reasoning power to discover