man nor a wise one, but he was merry, and, as I have thought it
necessary to mention, honest.

"Hallo, Johnny! Why not at the House?" said I to him. "You'll want
every vote to-night. Be off and help the ministry, and take Donna
Antonia with you. They're eating up the Minister of Finance."

"All right! I'm going as soon as I've had another muffin," said
Johnny. "But what's the row about?"

"Well, they want their money," I replied; "and Don Antonio won't give
it them. Hence bad feeling."

"Tell you what it is," said Johnny; "he hasn't got a--"

Here Donna Antonia struck in, rather suddenly, I thought.

"Do stop the gentleman talking politics, Mme. Devarges. They'll spoil
our tea-party."

"Your word is law," I said; "but I should like to know what Don
Antonio hasn't got."

"Now do be quiet," she rejoined; "isn't it quite enough that he has
got--a charming daughter?"

"And a most valuable one," I replied, with a bow, for I saw that for
some reason or other Donna Antonia did not mean to let me pump Johnny
Carr, and I wanted to pump him.