Marie Belloc Lowndes

“ Parsleet was a brave woman, and, according to her lights, she always did what she thought to be her duty.
"It's being noised abroad——" she began slowly; and then, "It's said below-stairs," she went on, dropping from the sublime to the ordinary, "that Lord Algy's friend, Mr, Ockenham, is going to be dressed up as an old gentleman—and a furriner, too. And that you're going calling on some of your mamma's friends with him?"
She looked anxiously at the lovely mutinous little face so near to hers.
"Well, what if we are, Mrs. Parsleet? There's no harm in a young man dressing up as an old man." ”

“ Then she turned to her mother, and her voice softened. "I've come with a petition," she began.
The Duchess smiled. "I can't grant it before I know what it is, Hilda. Some of your petitions, darling, are so very unreasonable!"
"Algy and I want to know if you will allow us to have a young party? We have all worked so hard to make the wedding a success, mother."
"I know you have."
"We want to ask the girls and men we like, not those whom you think we ought to like," and her eyes lit up with mischief. ”

“ Parsleet asks if your ladyship would kindly go and see her for a minute."
"Bother!" said Lady Hilda to herself. "I suppose I must."
Now Mrs. Parsleet was not only the Duchess's housekeeper—she was also the Duchess's old nurse, and she had taken Her Grace from her dying mother's arms. It was known (and resented) by everyone in the Castle that Mrs. Parsleet, during the absence of the Duchess, wrote to her every day. Even those whom the highly favoured old lady called her young lords and ladies regarded her as a kind of domestic super-spy, and disliked her accordingly. ”

“ On the other hand, Lady Hilda—at whom the host looked with a very kindly feeling, because of her likeness to her mother—knew nothing of art; and as he escorted "the Marquis" back to the library, which was his real living-room, he murmured, "I understand that young people are not taught nowadays anything about the great painters and sculptors of the past. When I was a youth, say over fifty years ago, everyone in a certain class of life was taught to distinguish a good picture from a bad one." ”

“ Algy always gets his own way with mother."
Lord Algy leant forward. "What's that? Who's taking my name in vain?"
"Mr. Ockenham wonders if mother would approve of what we're doing."
"Too late to think of that! We've got to go through with it. It was you who made me write that letter, Hilda. Colonel Ashbury is expecting us—we can't get out of it now."
Stately Whittingford House looked vast in the bright sunshine of the early spring day, and, as the carriage stopped before the high flight of marble steps leading up to the huge mahogany front door, even Lord Algy began to feel rather nervous. ”

“ Lady Hilda hesitated. She was aware that her mother had very much wished to go and see Colonel Ashbury, but that the Duke had said, characteristically, "Do let well alone."
Illustration: "He accompanied the party to the front door; and, as farewells were exchanged, he could not help being amused by the Marquis de Marly's extraordinary bowings."
"She wanted to go and see him when he first came to Whittingford House. But he gave out that he didn't want to be called on. He lives the queerest life—just like a hermit." ”

“ Partly, I confess, because this pseudo-French Marquis showed such a remarkable knowledge of art, and of the branch of art in which I have always been, as you know, especially interested."
"He is a very nice, intelligent, and cultivated young man," faltered the Duchess. Was it possible that her host had no suspicion as to the identity of "the Marquis de Marly"?
"Is the young gentleman still at the Castle? If he is, I should like to congratulate him on the cleverness of his make-up. ”

“ She murmured: "We were away, and so was our sensible eldest boy, Ardvilly. He would never have allowed such a foolish, impertinent practical joke to be played, had he been at home."
"We'll think and say no more about it, Laura—if I may call you so. I'm a peppery old chap, and I suppose the fact was that I felt incensed at being so entirely taken in!" ”

“ Then one morning Lord Algy was handed a telegram. "The parents are staying away another week!" he exclaimed. "Now look here, Hilda, don't you think we might have down Jerry Ockenham for a week-end? He's rather a lonely chap."
"Of course we'll have him down!"
"I'll tell you something rather interesting about Jerry. He's a grandson of that queer old bloke, Colonel Ashbury, who came in for Whittingford House two years ago."
"The man who never goes anywhere, and whom mother used to know?" ”

“ Nowadays motors annihilate distance; and as he's a rich man now, I presume he has a motor. He could have come down here any day and asked to see me."
"He was in a difficult position. You had quarrelled with his father——"
"I had reason to," said the old man grimly.
IV.
Four days later the Duke, the Duchess, Lord Algernon, and Lady Hilda were in the long library of the Castle. It was tea-time, and they were expecting Colonel Ashbury. ”

“ He left the room, and the Duchess threw her arms round her son's neck. "It's so unlike you," she said, "to do such a very impertinent thing to a man more than old enough to be your grandfather."
"Ockenham told Hilda that he'd give anything to see Colonel Ashbury." ”

“ He's quite disturbed that you have put yourself about for what he knows was just a practical joke."
He added in a low tone: "I know my master is very sorry that he wrote to His Grace about the matter."
"He has no reason to be sorry, Cherry." The Duchess spoke feelingly. "I'm sure the Duke would have written an even more angry letter in his place."
"Boys will be boys, and one can't put old heads on young shoulders, Your Grace," ventured Cherry.
Then he conducted the Duchess to the library where Colonel Ashbury had received with such kindness and courtesy the Castle Mummers. ”

“ We have lost our Letty, even if she does live in England. We shall never lose Susie, especially now that she's married to that dear good fellow who's always been, in a sense, like a child of our own. Why, I cried with joy when the news came that Geoffrey Brentlaw had won the V.C.! ”

“ Parsleet."
Mrs. Parsleet coughed. "I can't say that your ladyship's exactly like your mamma. She has such a lovely skin. Not one of you young ladies has that save, maybe, Lady Susan. I do hope she won't lose it in India—they do say that ladies get very yaller there."
"Didn't she look a darling when she went off? She's much too good for Geoffrey Brentlaw. That I shall always think——"
It was well known to Lady Susie's brothers and sisters that Mrs. ”