The Real Charlotte. 29 



sent round to Miss Mullen to know if she wants them first ! 

 If you weren't so infernally under her thumb you'd remember 

 there were others to be consulted besides her." 



" I'm not under her thumb, Roderick ; I beg you'll not 

 say such a thing," replied Mrs. Lambert huffily, her eyes 

 bhnking with resentment. " Charlotte Mullen's an old 

 friend of mine, and yours too, and it's a hard thing I can't 

 take her out driving without remarks being passed, and I 

 never thought you'd want the horses. I thought you said 

 you'd be in the office all to-morrow," ended the poor turkey 

 hen, whose feathers were constitutionally incapable of re- 

 maining erect for any length of time. 



Lambert did not answer immediately. His eyes rested 

 on her flushed face with just enough expression in them to 

 convey to her that her protest was beside the point. Mrs. 

 Lambert was apparently used to this silent comment on 

 what she said, for she went on still more apologetically : 



" If you like, Roderick, I'll send Michael over earlj 

 with a note to Charlotte to tell her we'll go some othei 

 aay." 



Mr. Lambert leaned back as if to consider the question, 

 and began to fill his pipe for the second time. 



" Well," he said slowly, " if it makes no difference to you, 

 Lucy, I'd be rather glad if you did. As a matter of fact I 

 have to ride out to Gurthnamuckla to-morrow, on business, 

 and I thought I'd take Francie Fitzpatrick with me there on 

 the black mare. She's no great shakes of a rider, and the 

 black mare is the only thing I'd hke to put her on. But, 

 of course, if it was for your own sake and not Charlotte's 

 that you wanted to go to the Waller's, I'd try and manage 

 to take Francie some other day. For the matter of that I 

 might put her on Paddy ; I daresay he'd carry a lady." 



Mr. Lambert's concession had precisely the expected 

 effect. Mrs. Lambert gave a cry of consternation : 



" Roderick ! you wouldn't ! Is it put that girl up on 

 that mad little savage of a pony ! Why, it's only yesterday, 

 when Michael was driving me into town, and Mr. Corkran 

 passed on his tricycle, he tore up on to his hind heels and 

 tried to run into Ryan's public-house ! Indeed, if that was 

 the way, not all the Charlottes in the world would make me 

 go driving to-morrow." 



