"Ah! Mr Egremont," said Lady St Julians. "What a hachis you
made of it
Lady Firebrace shook her head, as it were reproachfully.
"Charles," said Lady Deloraine, "we were talking of this Mr
Trenchard. Did I not once hear you say you knew something of
him?"
"Why, he is one of my intimate acquaintance."
"Heavens! what a man for a friend!" said Lady St Julians.
"Heavens!" echoed Lady Firebrace raising her hands.
"And why did you not present him to me, Charles," said Lady
Deloraine.
"I did; at Lady Peel's."
"And why did you not ask him here?"
"I did several times; but he would not come."
"He is going to Lansdowne House, though," said Lady Firebrace.
"I suppose you wrote the leading article in the Standard which
I have just read," said Egremont smiling. "It announces in
large type the secret reasons of Mr Trenchard's vote."
"It is a fact," said Lady Firebrace.
"That Trenchard is going to Lansdowne House to-night; very
likely. I have met him at Lansdowne House half-a-dozen times.
He is very intimate with the family and lives in the same
county."
"But his wife," said Lady Firebrace; "that's the point: he
never could get his wife there before."
"He has none," said Egremont very quietly.
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