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know."
    "Perhaps curricle races will become the fashion,"
Juliet said, laughing it off.
    "I assure you, it is not in the least comical!" he
snapped. "What will Cary say?"
    "Cary will understand that at times, one must be a
Wayborn first and a female second!" she answered
smartly. "If I were a man, you would not be talking
such fustian to me!"
    "Well, you're not a man," he said sharply. "And it
is not fustian! You'll see that soon enough when you
are given the cut! It will be bitter for you, Juliet. You
were so well liked before. Your manners were admired! But this dreadful, unladylike behavior-what
will Sir Benedict say to this?"
    Juliet, who had reason to dread her older brother's
reaction, remained silent, hoping Stacy would do
the same. But, no, he buried her beneath the weight of a thousand sermons on feminine decorum, and,
by the time the chaise reached Park Lane, Juliet was
so richly annoyed with him that she did not even
thank him for his excellent generalship in extricating
her from Southend.

    Lady Elkins was in the Apricot Salon wringing her
hands. "Oh, my dearest love," she cried weakly at
the sight of Juliet. "I have been so worried. I was so
frightened you had eloped!"
    Juliet responded with a scorn unworthy of her.
"Elope!" she scoffed, flinging her brother's tricorn
onto a table. "I? After what I have seen today, Aunt
Elinor, there is not a man in England that an Act of
Parliament could induce me to marry!"
    Her ladyship, already naturally pale, became ashen.
"Why, my love?" she wailed. "Why, what have you
seen? Why are you wearing my nephew's coat? Why
are you so dusty? What has happened? Mr. Calverstock, what has happened?"
    "I beg your pardon, Aunt Elinor!" Juliet cried,
giving her excitable aunt a quick, reassuring kiss.
"I've the most dreadful headache, that's all. Will you
entertain Mr. Calverstock while I go and wash?"
    As Juliet faded from the room, Stacy bowed correctly over his hostess's hand. "Mr. Calverstock!" Lady
Elkins said fondly. "If my niece was in your care, I have
no more worries."
    Stacy was scarcely gratified by the compliment.
    "I won't ask you to sit," Lady Elkins said nervously.
"Indeed, I must ask you not to sit. Parker informs me
that my nephew's clothes left a black mark on one of
the sofas. No one must sit until I have heard from Mr.
Soho. Pray, don't be angry."
    Stacy smiled warmly. "Indeed, my lady, I prefer to
stand."

    "He was brought home last night in a state of collapse!" cried her ladyship.
    "Mr. Soho?" Stacy asked hopefully.
    "My nephew! My poor, dear Cary. But you are not
to worry-I know you are his friend, but you are
not to worry. Mr. Norton tells me it is only a touch
of influenza."
    "Ah," said Stacy.
    "Do you think it will be necessary for us to remove
to the country?" her ladyship inquired anxiously.
"Mr. Norton tells me it is a very mild case-very
mild. But I am no longer young, you know, and even
a mild case of influenza might carry me off. I had
better retire to Surrey. Still, I do hate to take Juliet
away from London at the top of the Season. Did she
tell you she danced twice with the Duke of Auckland?" A spark of vicarious ecstasy entered Lady
Elkins's watery eye. "The Duke of Auckland!Only
think if his Grace were to marry my niece!"
    Stacy thought but found the notion unpalatable.
"Perhaps," he said cautiously, "it would be a very
good thing for Miss Juliet to accompany your ladyship
to Wayborn Hall."
    "I will ask my nephew when he comes. Dear Sir
Benedict always knows what is right and best."
Stacy swallowed hard. "Is Sir Benedict coming here,
Lady Elkins?"
    "Why yes," she replied innocently. "He is coming tomorrow. He will know what to do about dear Juliet.
I shall put it to him."
    Juliet, still smarting from Stacy's reproaches, had
crept into her brother's room, and dismissing the
nurse, she availed herself of his sympathetic ear. Cary did not open his eyes once throughout her version
of the morning's