nd certainly
did not evince very strongly the delight which his mother had assured
her friends he would feel at meeting them, for he paid but very little
attention to any one but Mat Tierney and his cousin Fanny; he shook
hands with all the old gentlemen, bowed to all the old ladies, and
nodded at the young ones. But if he really felt that strong desire,
which his mother had imputed to him, of opening his heart to the bishop
and the colonel respecting things temporal and spiritual, he certainly
very successfully suppressed his anxiety.

He had, during the last two or three days, applied himself to the task
of ingratiating himself with Fanny. He well knew how to suit himself to
different characters, and to make himself agreeable when he pleased;
and Fanny, though she had never much admired her dissipated cousin,
certainly found his conversation a relief after the usual oppressive
tedium of Grey Abbey society.

He had not begun by making love to her, or expressing admiration, or
by doing or saying anything which could at all lead her to suspect his
purpose, or put her on her guard. He had certainly been much more
attentive to her, much more intimate with her, than he usually had been
in his flying visits to Grey Abbey; but then he was now making his
first appearance as a reformed rake; and besides, he was her first
cousin, and she therefore felt no inclination to repel his advances.

He was obliged, in performance of a domestic duty, to walk out to
dinner with one of Lady George's daughters, but he contrived to sit
next to Fanny--and, much to his father's satisfaction, talked to her
during the whole ceremony.

"And where have you hidden yourself all the morning, Fanny," said he,
"that nobody has seen anything of you since breakfast?"

"Whither have _you_ taken yourself all the day, rather, that you had
not a moment to come and look after us? The Miss O'Joscelyns have been
expecting you to ride with them, walk with them, talk with them, and
play _la grace_ with them. They didn't give up the sticks till it was
quite dark, in the hope of you and Mr Tierney making your appearance."

"Well, Fanny, don't tell my mother, and I'll tell you the truth:--
promise now."

"Oh, I'm no tell-tale."

"Well then," and he whispered into her ear--"I was running away from
the Miss O'Joscelyns."

"But that won't do at all; don't you know they were asked here for your
especial edification and amusement?"

"Oh, I know they were. So