^6 The Real Charlotte. 



about us," she replied, looking at him with an expression 

 that softened the lines of her face in a surprising way. "Are 

 you too proud to have a lift home now ? " 



" Thank you, I'd sooner walk — and — " casting about for 

 an excuse — " you mightn't like the smell of my cigar under 

 your nose." 



"Come, now, Roddy," exclaimed Charlotte, "you ought 

 to know me better than that ! Don't you remember how 

 you used to sit smoking beside me in the office when I was 

 helping you to do your work ? In fact, I wouldn't say that 

 there hadn't been an occasion when I was guilty of a 

 cigarette in your company myself ! " 



She turned her eyes towards him, and the provocative 

 look in them came as instinctively and as straight as ever it 

 did from Francie's, or as ever it has been projected from 

 the curbed heart of woman. But, unfair as it may be, it is 

 certain that if Lambert had seen it, he would not have been 

 attracted by it. He, however, did not look up. 



" Well, if you don't mind going slow, I'll walk beside 

 you," he said, ignoring the reminiscence. " I want to know 

 whether you did better business with Julia Duffy than I did 

 last week." 



The soft look was gone in a moment from Charlotte's face. 



" I couldn't get much satisfaction out of her," she re- 

 plied ; " but I think I left a thorn in her pillow when I told 

 her Peter Joyce was bankrupt." 



" I'll take my oath you did," said Lambert, with a short 

 laugh. " I declare I'd be sorry for the poor old devil if she 

 wasn't such a bad tenant, letting the whole place go to the 

 mischief, house and all." 



" I tell you the house isn't in such a bad way as you 

 think ; it's dirt ails it more than anything else." Charlotte 

 had recovered her wonted energy of utterance. " Believe 

 me, if I had a few workmen in that house for a month you 

 wouldn't know it." 



" Well, I believe you will, sooner or later. All the same, 

 I can't see what the deuce you want with it. Now, if / had 

 the place, I'd make a pot of money out of it, keeping young 

 horses there, as I've often told you. I'd do a bit of coping, 

 and making hunters to sell. There's no work on earth I'd 

 like as well." 



