At Love's Cost

"Yes, I am glad; but not for my own sake. You think I am pining for a

coronet? I do not care--it is for Stafford's sake that I am glad.

Nothing is too good for him, no title too high!"

"Do you think Stafford cares?" asked Howard.

She flushed and her eyes fell before his.

"No," she said, with a deep sigh. "I do not think he cares. He seems

quite indifferent. All the time Sir Stephen and I have been working--"

"Have you been working?" said Howard, raising his eyebrows.

She laughed a little wearily.

"Indeed, yes. I have been--what do you men call it?--log-rolling for

weeks. It is I who have found out what is wanted by the people who can

help us. And it is generally, always, in fact, money. Always money! I

get 'tips' from Sir Stephen and my father, and whisper them to the

lords and ladies who have influence in the political drawing-rooms and

clubs."

"And Sir Stephen?"

She laughed.

"His task is much simpler and easier than mine. He just goes down to

his political club and subscribes so many thousand pounds towards the

party expenses. The other night he gave them--but I must not tell the

secrets of the Tories even to you, Mr. Howard. But it was a very large

sum. It is always done that way, isn't it?"

"I suppose so," he assented. "It must be; for, come to think of it, a

man isn't made a peer simply because he brews good beer; and a great

many of our peers were and are good brewers, you see. Oh, it's all

right, it pans out very satisfactorily, as the miners say. And so

Stafford will be the future Earl of--"

"Earl of Highcliffe," she said. "He has declined anything less than an

earldom. He has given so much. Sir Stephen owns some land there,

and--and some of his people come from there."

Howard laughed.

"I see. Been there since they came over with the Conqueror. The

Herald's College will have no difficulty in finding a coat-of-arms.

Something with a Kaffir and a railway in it."

She smiled tolerantly.

"You always make fun of everything, Mr. Howard. If only Stafford would

care--"

She sighed, and a moment afterwards her hand went to her lip with the

gesture of a nervous school-girl. She had heard Stafford's voice in the

hall.

He came in and greeted her gravely, and, Howard being present, merely

took her hand.