The Real Charlotte. 225 



me and Muffy, and he wanted to see a horse he's thinking 

 of buying. He says he'd like to be able to leave me the 

 mare to draw me in the phaeton." 



" Where will he get the money to buy it ? " asked 

 Charlotte sharply. 



" Oh ! I leave all the money matters to him," said Mrs. 

 Lambert, with that expression of serene satisfaction in her 

 husband that had already had a malign effect on Miss 

 Mullen's temper. " I know I can trust him." 



''You've a very different story to-day to what you had the 

 last time I was here," said Charlotte with a sneer. " Are 

 all your doubts of him composed ? " 



The entrance of the tea-tray precluded all possibihty of 

 answer ; but Charlotte knew that her javelin was quivering 

 in the wound. The moment the door closed behind the 

 servant, Mrs. Lambert turned upon her assailant with the 

 whimper in her voice that Charlotte knew so well. 



" I greatly regretted, Charlotte," she said, with as much 

 dignity as she could muster, "speaking to yoa the way! 

 did, for I believe now I was totally mistaken." 



It might be imagined that Charlotte would have taken 

 pleasure in Mrs. Lambert's security, inasmuch as it implied 

 her own; but, so far from this being the case, it was intoler- 

 able to her that her friend should be blind to the fact that 

 tortured her night and day. 



'•' And what's changed your mind, might I ask ? " 



" His conduct has changed my mind, Charlotte," replied 

 Mrs. Lambert severely ; " and that's enough for me." 



^'Well, I'm glad you're pleased with his conduct, Lucy; 

 but if he was my husband I'd find out what he was doing at 

 Tally Ho every day in the week before I was so rejoiced 

 about him." 



Charlotte's face had flushed in the heat of argument, and 

 Mrs. Lambert felt secretly a little frightened. 



" Begging your pardon, Charlotte," she said, still striving 

 after dignity, "he's not there every day, and when he does 

 go it's to talk business with you he goes, about Gurthna- 

 muckla and money and things like that." 



Charlotte sat up with a dangerous look about her jaw. 

 She could hardly beHeve that Lambert could have babbled 

 her secrets to this despised creature in order to save himself. 



p 



