'Silly! There you are. His father treats him like a boy; if he
talked about marrying, he'd get a cuff on the ear. Oh, I know all
about old Lord,' Ada proceeded. 'He's a regular old tyrant. Why,
you've only to look at him. And he thinks no small beer of himself,
either, for all he lives in that grubby little house; I shouldn't
wonder if he thinks us beneath him.'

She stared at her sisters, inviting their comment on this_ ludicrous
state of things.

'I quite believe Nancy does,' said Fanny, with a point of malice.

'She's a stuck-up thing,' declared Mrs. Peachey. 'And she gets worse
as she gets older. I shall never invite her again; it's three times
she has made an excuse--all lies, of course.

'Who will _she_ marry?' asked Beatrice, in a tone of disinterested
speculation.

Mrs. Peachey answered with a sneer:

'She's going to the Jubilee to pick up a fancy Prince.'

'As it happens,' objected Fanny, 'she isn't going to the Jubilee at
all. At least she says she isn't. She's above it--so her brother
told me.'

'I know who _wants_ to marry her,' Ada remarked, with a sour smile.

'Who is that?' came from the others.