CHAPTER IX. 



THE HEIR OF THE KEELERS UNDER A SOCIAL CLOUD 



The current of events has glided along more or less event- 

 fully in the Keeler household since the evening, some months 

 ago, when young Ernest disturbed its even flow by telling them 

 all of the greatness of their paternal ancestors. Madam Keeler 

 has since then had at least one lift added to the heels of her 

 already unusually high shoes and has, perhaps, on very impor- 

 tant occasions shaken the flounces of her skirts just a little more 

 pronouncedly than formerly and worn an aigrette on her ex- 

 pensive hat somewhat higher even than its hitherto ample 

 proportions possessed. Neither has she neglected to direct the 

 conversation on every convenient occasion to the absurd way in 

 which her boy had come home, raving about what he and his 

 father had discovered regarding the family at Brighton, the par- 

 ticulars always being given with a pleasing naivete when, after 

 arousing curiosity, she complied with the request for details. 

 Even Miss Keeler, who always maintained with such dignity 

 the family honour, now felt only the more justified in her 

 pretensions and at club meetings had been even more solic- 

 itous in advancing the claims of those descended from the 

 early first families of Upper Canada to a due and proper consid- 

 eration, and impressed the young gentlemen, emigres in their 

 own eyes from England, who so frequently honoured with their 

 presence the drawing-rooms where she found herself, that it was 

 these early emigrants of good families who had really main- 

 tained pure and undefiled the traditions which had made 

 Canada, for such new-comers as they, so pleasing a place to 

 come and reside in, since they could find here at least a few 

 of the graces which had marked select society at home. 



Undoubtedly, however, the events had run most swiftly for 

 the son and heir, John Keeler, during these past months. It 

 had been almost inevitable that, in the rushing torrent of busi- 

 ness development and speculation in Toronto, he should have 



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