"What would happen if I were to walk on the part of the terrace reserved for members?" she asked.
"The shade of Cromwell would exclaim, 'Remove that bauble!' and then you would be removed by the officials of the House, and burnt in effigy every 5th of November," Lord Robert hastened to assure her.
"Should I, Mr. Kesterton?"
"That is the usual punishment for such an offence."
"But I am an M.P.-ress myself, you see."
"Then in that case you might only be named by the Speaker," replied Mr. Kesterton, "that is the next worst thing."
"I hope that my husband shows no signs of becoming an independent member," said Isabel; "because I don't approve of independent members."
"Not at all," answered her host, "he is a credit alike to the woman who trained him and the party that owns him."
"I am thankful for that; I think that people who make their own opinions are almost as bad as people who make their own clothes."
The front-bench man nodded his approval of this sentiment, as he dispensed the strawberries and cream.