"And so poor Frank has been turned out of heaven?" said Lady Mabel Grex to young Lord Silverbridge.
"Who told you that? I have said nothing about it to anybody."
"Of course he told me himself," said the young beauty. I am aware that, in the word beauty, and perhaps, also, in the word young, a little bit of the horse is appearing; and I am already sure that I shall have to show his head and neck, even if not his very tail. "Poor Frank! Did you hear it all?"
"I heard nothing, Lady Mab, and know nothing."
"You know that your awful governor won't let him stay any longer in Carlton Terrace?"
"Would Lord Grex allow Percival to have his friends living here?" Earl Grex was Lady Mabel's father, Lord Percival was the Earl's son;--and the Earl lived in Belgrave Square. All these are little bits of the horse.
"Certainly not. In the first place, I am here."
"Of course it makes a difference. They would be wanting to make love to me."
"And therefore it wouldn't do for you to live here; and then papa is living here himself. And then the permission never has been given. I suppose Frank did not go there at first without the Duke knowing it."
"You might as well tell me all about it. We are cousins, you know." Frank Tregear, through his mother's family, was second cousin to Lady Mabel; as was also Lord Silverbridge, one of the Grexes having, at some remote period, married a Palliser. This is another bit of the horse.
"The governor merely seemed to think that he would like to have his own house to himself--like other people. What an ass Tregear was to say anything to you about it."
"I don't think he was an ass at all. Of course he had to tell us that he was changing his residence. He says that he is going to take a back bedroom somewhere near the Seven Dials."
"He has got very nice rooms in Duke Street."
"Poor fellow! I wish he had a little money; he is so nice. And now, Lord Silverbridge, do you mean to say that there is not something in the wind about Lady Mary?"
"If there were I should not talk about it," said Lord Silverbridge.
"You are a very innocent young gentleman."
"And you are a very interesting young lady."
"You ought to think me so, for I interest myself very much about you. Was the Duke very angry about your not standing for the county?"