The Real Charlotte. 355 



glance behind the door. " What a visitation you must have 

 had from the whole set ! Had they anything interesting to 

 say for themselves ? Charlotte Mullen generally is a great 

 alleviation." 



**0h yes," replied her son, examining the end of his 

 cigarette with a peculiar expression, '^ she — she alleviated 

 about as much as usual ; but it was Cursiter who brought 

 the news." 



" I can't imagine Captain Cursiter so far forgetting him- 

 self as to tell any news/' said Lady Dysart ; " but perhaps he 

 makes an exception in your favour." 



"They're to go to Aldershot in a fortnight," said 

 Christopher. 



" You don't say so ! " exclaimed his mother, with an ir- 

 repressible look at Pamela, who was sitting on the floor in 

 the window, taking a thorn out of Max's spatulate paw. 

 " In a fortnight ? I wonder how Mr. Hawkins will hke 

 that ? Evelyn said that Miss Coppard told her the marri- 

 age was to come off when the regiment went back to 

 England." 



Christopher grunted unsympathetically, and Pamela con- 

 tinued her researches for the thorn. 



" Well," resumed Lady Dysart, " I, for one, shall not re- 

 gret them. Selfish and second-rate ! " 



" Which is which ? " asked Christopher, eliminating any 

 tinge of interest or encouragement from his voice. He was 

 quite aware that his mother was in this fashion avenging the 

 slaughter of the hope that she had secretly nourished about 

 Captain Cursiter, and, being in a perturbed frame of mind, 

 it annoyed him. 



" I think your friend is the most self-centred, ungenial 

 man I have ever known," replied Lady Dysart, in sonorous 

 denunciation, " and if Mr. Hawkins is not second-rate, his 

 friends are, which comes to the same thing ! And, by the 

 by, how was it that he went away before Captain Cursiter ? 

 Did not they come together ? " 



" Miss Mullen and Mrs. Lambert gave him a lift," said 

 Christopher, uncommunicatively ; " I believe they overtook 

 him on his way here." 



Lady Dysart meditated, with her dark eyebrows drawn 

 into a frown. 



