Mrs. Bludlip Courtenay's eyes lightened with malignity.
"What, that man who objected to our smoke?"
Lady Beaulyon nodded.
"And I think Roxmouth sees it!"—she added.
'Pipkin' looked weirdly meditative and curiously wizened for a moment. Then she suddenly laughed and clapped her hands.
"That will do!" she exclaimed—"That's quite good enough for US!
Mrs. Fred will pay for THAT information! Don't you see?"
Lady Beaulyon shook her head.
"Don't you? Well, wait till we get back to town!"—and 'Pipkin' took up her false hair and shook it gently, as she spoke—"We can do wonders—wonders, I tell you, Eva! And till we go, we'll be as nice to the girl as we can,—go off good friends and all that sort of thing—tell her how much we've enjoyed ourselves—thank her profusely,—and then once away we'll tell Mrs. Fred all about John Walden, and leave her to do as she likes with the story. That will be quite enough! If Maryllia has any sneaking liking for the man, she'll do anything to save HIS name if she doesn't care about saving her own!"
"Oh, I see now!" and Lady Beaulyon's eyes sparkled up with a gleam of malice—"Yes—I quite understand!"
'Pipkin' danced about the room in ecstasy,—she was half undressed for the night, and showed a pair of exceedingly thin old legs under an exceedingly short young petticoat.