These bitter words appeared powerfully to affect the Marquis, but after a stunned moment he pulled himself together, and recommended his sister, in faint but soothing accents, to retire to bed with a paregoric draught. “For you are sadly out of curl, Louisa, believe me! Do let me assure you that if ever Endymion should ask me to give a ball in his honour I shall take steps to have him placed under restraint!”

“Oh, how detestable you are!” she exclaimed. “You know very well I didn’t mean — that what I meant — that — ”

“No, no, don’t explain it to me!” he interrupted. “It is quite unnecessary, I promise you! I perfectly understand you — indeed, I’ve done so for years! You — and I rather fancy, Augusta too — have persuaded yourself that I have a strong partiality for Endymion — ”

“That — that moonling!”

“You are too severe: merely a slow-top!”

“Yes, we all know that you think him a positive pattern-card of perfection!” she said angrily, kneading her handkerchief between her hands.

He had been idly swinging his quizzing-glass on the end of its long riband, but was moved by this interjection to rise the glass to one eye, the better to survey his sister’s enflamed countenance. “What a very odd interpretation to put upon my words!” he remarked.

“Don’t tell me!” retorted Lady Buxted, in full career. “Whatever your precious Endymion wants he may have for the asking! While your sisters — ”

“I hesitate to interrupt you, Louisa,” murmured his lordship untruthfully, “but I think that extremely doubtful. I’m not at all benevolent, you know.”

“And you don’t make him an allowance, I collect! Oh, no, indeed!”

“So that’s what’s wound you up, is it? What a very hubble-bubble creature you are! At one moment you revile me for behaving scaly to my family, and at the next you come to cuffs with me for honouring my obligations to my heir!”