a brother's work; and it is an embassy which I am sure
Adolphus will not undertake. If you take my advice you will not ask
him."

As Lady Selina finished speaking she walked to the door, as if
determined to hear no reply from her cousin; but, as she was leaving
the room, she fancied that she heard her sobbing, and her heart
softened, and she again turned towards her and said, "God knows, Fanny,
I do not wish to be severe or ill-natured to you; I would do anything
for your comfort and happiness, but I cannot bear to think that
you should"--Lady Selina was puzzled for a word to express her
meaning--"that you should forget yourself," and she attempted to put
her arm round Fanny's waist.

But she was mistaken; Fanny was not sobbing, but was angry; and what
Selina now said about her forgetting herself, did not make her less so.

"No," she said, withdrawing herself from her cousin's embrace and
standing erect, while her bosom was swelling with indignation: "I
want no affection from you, Selina, that is accompanied by so much
disapprobation. You don't wish to be severe, only you say that I am
likely to forget myself. Forget myself!" and Fanny threw back her
beautiful head, and clenched her little fists by her side: "The other
day you said 'disgrace myself', and I bore it calmly then; but I will
not any longer bear such imputations. I tell you plainly, Selina, I
will not forget myself, nor will I be forgotten. Nor will I submit to
whatever fate cold, unfeeling people may doom me, merely because I am a
woman and alone. I will not give up Lord Ballindine, if I have to walk
to his door and tell him so. And were I to do so, I should never think
that I had forgotten myself."

"Listen to me, Fanny," said Selina.

"Wait a moment," continued Fanny, "I have listened enough: it is
my turn to speak now. For one thing I have to thank you: you have
dispelled the idea that I could look for help to anyone in this family.
I will not ask your brother to do anything for me which you think so
disgraceful. I will not subject him to the scorn with which you choose
to think my love will be treated by him who loved me so well. That you
should dare to tell me that he who did so much for my love should now
scorn it!--Oh, Selina, that I may live to forget that you said those
words!" and Fanny, for a moment, put her handkerchief to her eyes--but
it was but for a moment. "However," she continued, "I will now act for
myself. As you think I might for