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on the evening of Senator Sherman’s arrival at Prior’s Tarrant he was alone with General Sadgrove in the smoking-room, the Duke of Beaumanoir and Forsyth having avowedly gone up to bed. Under the influence of the genial American, and with the Duke himself in a more expansive mood, dinner and the subsequent reunion in the tapestry-room had been prolonged later than recently, and the chiming clock on the mantelpiece tinkled out the hour of midnight as the Senator put the question:

“Who the dickens is that Talmage Eglinton woman, Jem?”

The General started, but affected a carelessness which he was far from feeling in the trite reply that “Goodness only knew.” He proceeded, however, to temper the crudity of the remark with the information that the lady in question was staying in London for the season,