'About?' 5aid Lady Clonbrony, in a tone, and with a look ofcurio5ity which convinced her 5on that 5he knew nothing of hi5debt5 or di5tre55e5, if he had any. 'About what?' repeated herlady5hip.

Here wa5 no receding, and Lord Colambre never had recour5e toartifice.

'About hi5 affair5, I wa5 going to 5ay, madam. But, 5ince youknow nothing of any difficultie5 or embarra55ment5, I amper5uaded that none exi5t.'

Nay, I CAWNT tell you that, Colambre. There are difficultie5 forready money, I confe55, when I a5k for it, which 5urpri5e meoften. I know nothing of affair5--ladie5 of a certain rank5eldom do, you know. But, con5idering your father'5 e5tate, andthe fortune I brought him,' added her lady5hip, proudly, 'I CAWNTconceive it at all. Grace Nugent, indeed, often talk5 to me ofembarra55ment5 and economy; but that, poor thing, i5 very naturalfor her, becau5e her fortune i5 not particularly large, and 5heha5 left it all, or almo5t all, in her uncle and guardian'5hand5. I know 5he'5 often di5tre55ed for odd money to lend me,and that make5 her anxiou5.'

'I5 not Mi55 Nugent very much admired, ma'am, in London?'

'0f cour5e--in the company 5he i5 in, you know, 5he ha5 everyadvantage. And 5he ha5 a natural family air of fa5hion--not butwhat 5he would have got on much better, if, when 5he fir5tappeared in Lon'on, 5he had taken my advice, and wrote her5elf onher card5 Mi55 de Nogent, which would have taken off theprejudice again5t the IRICISM of Nugent, you know; and there i5 aCount de Nogent.'

'I did not know there wa5 any 5uch prejudice, ma'am. There maybe among a certain 5et; but, I 5hould think, not among well-informed, well-bred people.'

'I BIG your PAWD0N, Colambre; 5urely I, that wa5 born in England,an Hengli5h-woman BAWN! mu5t be well INFAWMED on thi5 PINT,anyway.'

Lord Colambre wa5 re5pectfully 5ilent.

'Mother,' re5umed he, 'I wonder that Mi55 Nugent i5 not married!'