ous sense of snug repose, and exerted its usual
soporific charm.

"Took Mary a long time to write," he said, with a sleepy chuckle, as the
last vestige disappeared of the laboriously constructed missive which
Lady Blore had sat up half the previous night, with gold-rimmed
pince-nez on Roman nose to copy out by her bedroom candle, and had sent
to pave the way before her strong destructive feet.

The footman came in.

"Lady Blore and Miss Bellairs are in the drawing-room."

"Just pull the blinds half-way down before you go," said Colonel
Bellairs to Magdalen, "and remember other people have got letters to
write as well as her, and I'm not to be disturbed on any account."

CHAPTER IX

On garde longtemps son premier amant quand on n'en prend point de
second.--LA ROCHEFOUCAULD.

The two aunts meanwhile were sitting waiting in the drawing-room.

When Mrs. Bellairs died, which event, according to Aunt Aggie, had been
brought about by a persistent refusal to wear on her chest a small
square of flannel, (quite a small square) sprinkled with camphorated
oil, and according to Aunt Mary by a total misconception of the
Bellairs' character; when this event happened, the two aunts became what
they called supports to their brother's motherless children.

They were far from being broken reeds which pierce the hands of those
who lean on them.

No one had ever leaned on Aunt Mary or Aunt Aggie. Aunt Mary might
perhaps be likened to one of those stout beams which have a tendency to
push ruthlessly through the tottering outer wall which they are supposed
to prop, into the inner chamber of the tenement which has the misfortune
to be the object of their good offices.

She had contracted, not in her first youth, a matrimonial alliance--it
could hardly be called a marriage--with a general, distinguished in
India and obscure everywhere else, who had built a villa called "The
Towers" a few miles from Priesthope. The marriage had taken place after
years of half-gratified reluctance on his part and indomitable crude
persistence on hers. In short it was what is generally called "a long
attachment," and proves beyond dispute, what is already proven to the
hilt, that the sterner sex prefer to have their affairs of the heart
arranged for them; that once lost sight of they are mislaid, once let
loose on parole they never return, once captured they endeavour to
escape; that even when finally married nothing short of the amput