box." "I hope you didn't neglect to say that I tore out all the pictures. A more scandalous collection—" But she never finished her denunciation of[Pg 155] the novel, for just at that moment the Bishop sprang to his feet with a glad cry of "Cecil!" [Pg 155] The young man came running across the lawn to meet his father, seizing him warmly by the hand, and having administered a dutiful peck to his aunt, turned to introduce the little group of strangers who had accompanied him. "Father," he said, "these are my friends. On the strength of your letter I've taken the liberty of asking them to be my guests as well." "They're very welcome to the palace," said the Bishop. Cecil turned, and leading the two ladies forward, presented them to his father and his aunt. Miss Matilda swept them both with a comprehensive glance, and addressing Mrs. Mackintosh, remarked: "Your daughter, I presume," indicating Miss Arminster. Whereupon the good lady coloured violently and denied the fact. "Your niece?" insisted Miss Matilda, who was an excellent catechist, as generations of unfortunate children could bear witness.[Pg 156] [Pg 156] "A young lady whom I'm chaperoning in Europe," replied Mrs. Mackintosh stiffly, in an effort to be truthful, and at the same time to furnish Violet with a desirable status in the party. The tragedian was now brought forward. "Allow me," said Banborough, in pursuance of a prearranged scheme of action—"allow me to introduce my friend Professor Tybalt Smith. You, father, are of course acquainted with his scholarly work on monumental brasses." The Bishop naturally was not conversant with the book in question, because it had never been written, but he was entirely too pedantic to admit the fact; so he smiled, and congratulated the Professor most affably on what he termed "his well-known attainments," assuring him that he would find in the cathedral a rich field of research in his particular line of work. Spotts was now brought up, and introduced as a rising young architect of ecclesiastical[Pg 157] tendencies, which delighted his Lordship immensely as there
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