"I suppose he has gone to London to tell his father?"
"The Earl? Not much. I made Fitz promise to avoid the old man till I gave him leave. He has gone up to town for the engagement ring. When he gets back to-morrow he is going to write and tell him everything. That will bring his lordship down here double-quick, and we'll settle everything in one fair, square, up-and-down scrap." Miss Lottingar almost smacked her lips.
"Will the Earl object, then?"
"Object? My dear boy, look at me!"
Pip looked. He saw a pair of bold black eyes, a very red and entrancing mouth, a retroussé nose, an alluringly dimpled chin, and a good deal of glinting coppery hair. Individually these features were distinctly attractive, but there was something about the tout ensemble that supplied an immediate answer to the owner's extremely frank question.
"You'll know me again," said Miss Lottingar, rather faintly.
"Beg your pardon," said Pip, ungluing his gaze with a jerk. "Bad habit I've got. Yes, perhaps he will object."
"I should think so. 'Fast girl—shady father—with all their goods in the shop window!' That's what the old man will see, if he's the least bit less of a fool than his son."
"But," said Pip, "won't he consent if he sees that you really—care for each other?"
"Afraid he won't see that," said Miss Lottingar composedly.