"
The Duke of Fitz-Aquitaine was the great staple of Lady
Firebrace's correspondence with Mr Tadpole. "Woman's mission"
took the shape to her intelligence of getting over his grace
to the conservatives. She was much assisted in these
endeavours by the information which she so dexterously
acquired from the innocent and incautious Lord Masque.
Egremont was seated at dinner to-day by the side of Lady Joan.
Unconsciously to himself this had been arranged by Lady
Marney. The action of woman on our destiny is unceasing.
Egremont was scarcely in a happy mood for conversation. He
was pensive, inclined to be absent; his thoughts indeed were
of other things and persons than those around him. Lady Joan
however only required a listener. She did not make enquiries
like Lady Maud, or impart her own impressions by suggesting
them as your own. Lady Joan gave Egremont an account of the
Aztec cities, of which she had been reading that morning, and
of the several historical theories which their discovery had
suggested; then she imparted her own, which differed from all,
but which seemed clearly the right one. Mexico led to Egypt.
Lady Joan was as familiar with the Pharaohs as with the
Caciques of the new world.
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