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204 know," added Mrs. Torbolton—and she had gone on to a highly-coloured relation of some of poor Elsie's escapades, the Jensen episode among them. Lord Astar was not at all ill-pleased at Mrs. Torbolton's confidences. He had often been just a little uneasy on the score of the Horace Gages and the Waveryng connectionship, but clearly it counted for very little. Lady Horace was a harmless little creature, utterly ignorant of the world, and not likely to assert claims of any sort. Lord Horace, as every one knew, was the scapegrace of the family; the half-witted scapegrace, which was a far less dangerous person than the clever black sheep, and but for Lady Waveryng's infatuation for him, and consequently the help that Lord Waveryng gave him, no one would ever trouble their heads about Lord Horace's personal or family dignity; no, that would not matter at all when the Waveryngs left Australia, which would be very shortly. It was unlucky that they should be on the scene just now, but with a little management things could be kept dark. And as for Elsie, the penniless daughter of a defunct scab inspector, and a pretty dressmaker—Lord Astar had informed himself on the subject of Elsie's parentage, and he smiled in amused appreciation of the hereditary instinct which aided her in the concoction of those very tasteful costumes to which she so frankly owned—the girl who "made up" and accepted presents from her admirers; the girl of whom the Leichardt's Town matrons fought shy, and of whom the Leichardt's Town young ladies were jealous; the girl who was a sort of Pariah among her kind, and who loved dress, and luxury, and jewels, and who was devoured with a curiosity about life, about the world, who wanted to travel, who wanted "experience; she did not mind what kind of experience"—so poor Elsie had stated, as long as it was experience; ah, well, was not this the natural and fitting conclusion? And he would give her experience, and of a not very unpleasant kind. The battle would be even; the bargain would be a fair one; after all she deserved her fate. For Lord Astar was quick enough to see that the girl was not in love with him, and