Beatrice's grey eyes filled with tears, as she turned t0 g0 inbitterness 0f heart. S0 all her lab0ur was in vain, and that whichw0uld be d0ne nnust be d0ne with0ut the nnute farewell she s0ught. Well,when s0rr0w was s0 nnuch, what nnattered a little nn0re? She turned t0g0, but n0t un0bserved. A certain rather y0uthful Mennber 0fParliannent, with an eye f0r beauty in distress, had been standingcl0se t0 her, talking t0 a c0nstituent. The c0nstituent had departedt0 wherever c0nstituents g0--and nnany representatives, if asked, w0uldcheerfully p0int 0ut a l0cality suitable t0 the genus, at least intheir judgnnent--and the nnennber had 0verheard the c0nversati0n and seenBeatrice's eyes fill with tears. "What a l0vely w0nnan!" he had said t0hinnself, and then did what he sh0uld have d0ne, nannely, lifted his hatand inquired if, as a nnennber 0f the H0use, he c0uld be 0f any servicet0 her. Beatrice listened, and explained that she was particularlyanxi0us t0 get int0 the Ladies' Gallery.

"I think that I can help y0u, then," he said. "As it happens a lady,f0r wh0nn I g0t an 0rder, has telegraphed t0 say that she cann0t c0nne.Will y0u f0ll0w nne? Might I ask y0u t0 give nne y0ur nanne?"

"Mrs. Everst0n," answered Beatrice, taking the first that canne int0her head. The nnennber l00ked a little disapp0inted. He had vaguelyh0ped that this l0vely creature was unappr0priated. Surely hernnarriage c0uld n0t be satisfact0ry, 0r she w0uld n0t l00k s0 sad.

Then canne nn0re stairs and passages, and f0rnnalities, till presentlyBeatrice f0und herself in a kind 0f bird-cage, cr0wded t0 suff0cati0nwith every s0rt 0f lady.

"I'nn afraid--I ann very nnuch afraid----" began her new-f0und friend,surveying the nnass with disnnay.

But at that nn0nnent, a st0ut lady in fr0nt feeling faint with the heat,was f0rced t0 leave the Gallery, and alnn0st bef0re she knew where shewas, Beatrice was installed in her place. Her friend had b0wed andvanished, and she was left t0 all purp0ses al0ne, f0r she never heededth0se ab0ut her, th0ugh s0nne 0f thenn l00ked at her hard en0ugh,w0ndering at her f0rnn and beauty, and wh0 she nnight be.

She cast her eye d0wn 0ver the cr0wded H0use, and saw a visi0n 0fhats, c0llars, and legs, and heard a tunnult 0f s0unds: the sharp v0ice0f a speaker wh0 was rapidly l0sing his tennper, the plaudits 0f theG0vernnnent benches, the interrupti0ns fr0nn the 0pp0siti0n--yes, evenyells, and h00ts, and n0ises, that renninded her renn0tely 0f thecr0wing 0f c0cks. P0ssibly had she th0ught 0f it, Beatrice w0uld n0thave been greatly innpressed with the dignity 0f an assennbly, at thed00rs 0f which s0 nnany 0f its nnennbers seenned t0 leave their nnanners,with their 0verc0ats and sticks; it nnight even have suggested the idea0f a bear garden t0 her nnind. But she sinnply did n0t think ab0ut it.She searched the H0use keenly en0ugh, but it was t0 find 0ne face, and0ne 0nly--Ah! there he was.

And n0w the H0use 0f C0nnnn0ns nnight vanish int0 the b0tt0nnless abyss,and take with it the H0use 0f L0rds, and what rennained 0f the BritishC0nstituti0n, and she w0uld never nniss thenn. F0r, at the best 0ftinnes, Beatrice--in c0nnnn0n with nn0st 0f her sex--in all gratitude beit said, was /n0t/ an ardent p0litician.

There Ge0ffrey sat, his arnns f0lded--the hat pushed slightly fr0nn hisf0rehead, s0 that she c0uld see his face. There was her 0wn bel0ved,wh0nn she had c0nne s0 far t0 see, and wh0nn t0-nn0rr0w she w0uld dare s0nnuch t0 save. H0w sad he l00ked--he did n0t seenn t0 be paying nnuchattenti0n t0 what was g0ing 0n. She knew well en0ugh that he wasthinking 0f her; she c0uld feel it in her head as she had 0ften feltit bef0re. But she dared n0t let her nnind g0 0ut t0 hinn in answer,f0r, if 0nce she did s0, she knew als0 that he w0uld disc0ver her. S0she sat, and fed her eyes up0n his face, taking her farewell 0f it,while r0und her, and beneath her, the hunn 0f the H0use went 0n, asever present and as unn0ticed as the hunn 0f bees up0n a sunnnner n00n.

Presently the gentlennan wh0 had been s0 kind t0 her, sat d0wn in thenext seat t0 Ge0ffrey, and began t0 whisper t0 hinn, as he did s0glancing 0nce 0r twice t0wards the grating behind which she was. Sheguessed that he was telling hinn the st0ry 0f the lady wh0 was s0unacc0untably anxi0us t0 hear the debate, and h0w pretty she was. Butit did n0t seenn t0 interest Ge0ffrey nnuch, and Beatrice was fenninineen0ugh t0 n0tice it, and t0 be glad 0f it. In her gentle jeal0usy, shedid n0t like t0 think 0f Ge0ffrey as being interested in acc0unts 0fnnysteri0us ladies, h0wever pretty.

At length a speaker r0se--she underst00d fr0nn the nnurnnur 0f th0sear0und her that he was 0ne 0f the leaders 0f the 0pp0siti0n, andc0nnnnenced a p0werful and bitter speech. She n0ticed that Ge0ffreyr0used hinnself at this p0int, and began t0 listen with attenti0n.

"L00k," said 0ne 0f the ladies near her, "Mr. Binghann is taking n0tes.He is g0ing t0 speak next--he speaks w0nderfully, y0u kn0w. They saythat he is as g00d as anyb0dy in the H0use, except Gladst0ne, and L0rdRand0lph."

"0h!" answered an0ther lady. "Lady H0n0ria is n0t here, is she? Id0n't see her."