The Real Charlotte, 281 



As is proverbially the case, the principal persons con- 

 cerned were not as aware as the lookers-on of the state of 

 the game. Francie, to whom flirtation was as ordinary and 

 indispensable as the breath of her nostrils, did not feel that 

 anything much out of the common was going on, though 

 she knew quite well that Mr. Lambert was very fond of her ; 

 and Mr. Lambert had so firmly resolved on allowing a 

 proper interval to elapse between his wife's death and that 

 election of her successor upon which he was determined, 

 that he looked upon the present episode as of small import- 

 ance, and merely a permissible relaxation to a man whose 

 hunting had been stopped, and who had, in a general way, 

 been having the devil of a dull time He was to go back 

 to Lismoyle on Monday, the first of the year ; and it was 

 settled that he was to take Francie on Sunday afternoon to 

 walk on Kingstown pier. The social laws of Mrs Fitz- 

 patrick's world were not rigorous, still less was her interpre- 

 tation of them ; an unchaperoned expedition to Kingstown 

 pier would not, under any circumstances, have scandalised 

 her, and considering that Lambert was an old friend and 

 had been married, the proceeding became almost prudishly 

 correct. As she stood at her window and saw them turn 

 the corner of the road on their way to the station, she 

 observed to Mabel that there wouldn't be a handsomer 

 couple going the pier than what they were, Francie had that 

 stylish way with her that she always gave a nice set to a 

 skirt, and it was wonderful the way she could trim up an 

 old hat the same as new. 



It was a very bright clear afternoon, and a touch of frost 

 in the air gave the snap and brilliancy that are often lack- 

 ing in an Irish winter day On such a Sunday Kingstown 

 pier assumes a fair semblance of its spring and summer 

 gaiety ; the Kingstown people walk there because there is 

 nothing else to be done at Kingstown, and the Dublin 

 people come down to snatch what they can of sea air before 

 the short afternoon darkens, and the hour arrives when 

 they look out for members of the St. George's Yacht Club 

 to take them in to tea. There was a fair sprinkling of 

 people on the long arm of granite that curves for a mile 

 into Dublin Bay, and as Mr Lambert paced along it he 

 w^s as agreeably conscious as his companion of the glances 



