A BOTHER, AND — A BRIDE. 171 



Grosvenor gate, he found a moment to whisper to 

 Mary, " And may I come and see you, Mary?" 



" Do YOU not know you may?" 



"And' when?" 



'' Whenever you please, Fairfax." 



"This evening?" 



"Please, do:' 



"And when I do come, you'll say — " 



"Yes, sii* — " with such an innocent, fond glance, 

 and such a radiant smile. 



" Mary — my own, own Mary Merton." 



"You said so, once before." 



"And meant it." 



"So did I, when I said I will, and so — and so — T 

 teased papa 'till he brought me to London." 



"And you will, dearest ?" 



" I said it, once, but if ' you'd rather,' I'll say it 

 again." 



"I'd rather." 



"Then, a will.'" 



" Then I will come and see you this evening." 



And so he did ; but the American minister's dinner 

 party did most assuredly, long and slow as it was — • 

 for it was a dainty spread given to those most 

 unutterable of all snobs and hypocrites. Corncob. 

 Splendid, and the rest of the League-men — seem to 

 him longer and slower than ever one had seemed be- 

 fore. He would have been perfectly willing to swear 

 that the soup was cold, though it was reeking from 

 Soyer's most particular marmite ; that the champagne 

 was hissing hot, though it was frappe au mo7nent, 

 with the best ice of Wenham Lake. But slowest 

 things, as well as fastest, must have their end. 



And if the minister's dinner had been about the 

 slowest thing of the season, the pace at which Percy 

 Fairfax's cab went from Wilton Square to Lower 

 Grosvenor Street, after it, was certainly quite the 



