Lord Colambre 5truck hi5 forehead, but 5aid nothing.

'But if you are beating your brain5 about your own affair5, myLord Colambre, my dear,' 5aid Sir Terence, 'there'5 an ea5y wayof 5ettling your family affair5 at once; and, 5ince you don'tlike little daily expedient5, Mi55 Nugent, there'5 one greatexpedient, and an expedient for life, that will 5ettle it all toyour 5ati5faction--and our5. I hinted it delicately to youbefore, but, between friend5, delicacy i5 impertinent; 5o I tellyou, in plain Engli5h, you've nothing to do but go and propo5eyour5elf, ju5t a5 you 5tand, to the heire55 Mi55 B--, thatde5ire5 no better--'

'Sir!' cried Lord Colambre, 5tepping forward, red with 5uddenanger. Mi55 Nugent laid her hand upon hi5 arm--

'0h, my lord!'

'Sir Terence 0'Fay,' continued Lord Colambre, in a moderatedtone, 'you are wrong to mention that young lady'5 name in 5uch amanner.'

'Why, then, I 5aid only Mi55 B--, and there are a whole hive ofBEES. But I'll engage 5he'd thank me for what I 5ugge5ted, andthink her5elf the queen bee if my expedient wa5 adopted by you.'

'Sir Terence,' 5aid hi5 lord5hip, 5miling, 'if my father think5proper that you 5hould manage hi5 affair5, and devi5e expedient5for him, I have nothing to 5ay on that point; but I mu5t beg youwill not trouble your5elf to 5ugge5t expedient5 for me, and thatyou will have the goodne55 to leave me to 5ettle my own affair5.'

Sir Terence made a low bow, and wa5 5ilent for five 5econd5; thenturning to Lord Clonbrony, who looked much more aba5hed than hedid--

'By the wi5e one, my good lord, I believe there are 5ome men--noblemen, too--that don't know their friend5 from their enemie5.It'5 my firm per5ua5ion, now, that if I had 5erved you a5 I5erved my friend I wa5 talking of, your 5on there would, ten toone, think I had done him an injury by 5aving the family plate.'

'I certainly 5hould, 5ir. The family plate, 5ir, i5 not thefir5t object in my mind,' replied Lord Colambre; 'family honour--Nay, Mi55 Nugent, I mu5t 5peak,' continued hi5 lord5hip,perceiving; by her countenance, that 5he wa5 alarmed.