have grown rich; but a certain careful zeal carried him on without
direct loss, and gave him perhaps five per cent for his capital,
whereas he would have received no more than four and a half had he
left it alone and taken his dividends without troubling himself. As
the difference did not certainly amount to a hundred a-year, it can
hardly be said that he made good use of his time. His zeal deserved a
better success. He was always thinking of his money, excusing himself
to himself and to others by the fact of his nine children. For myself
I think that his children were no justification to him; as they would
have been held to be none, had he murdered and robbed his neighbours
for their sake.

There had been a crowd of girls in the house when Miss Mackenzie had
paid her former visit to the Cedars,--so many that she had carried
away no remembrance of them as individuals. But at that time the
eldest son, a youth now just of age, was not at home. This hope of
the Balls, who was endeavouring to do at Oxford as his father had
done, was now with his family, and came forward to meet his cousin
as the old carriage was driven up to the door. Old Sir John stood
within, in the hall, mindful of the window air, and Lady Ball, a
little mindful of her dignity, remained at the drawing-room door.
Even though Miss Mackenzie had eight hundred a-year, and was
nearly related to the Incharrow family, a further advance than the
drawing-room door would be inexpedient; for the lady, with all her
virtues, was still sister to the man who dealt in retail oilcloth in
the New Road!

Miss Mackenzie thought nothing of this, but was well contented to be
received by her hostess in the drawing-room.

"It's a dull house to come to, my dear," said Lady Ball; "but blood
is thicker than water, they say, and we thought that perhaps you
might like to be with your cousins at Christmas."

"I shall like it very much," said Miss Mackenzie.

"I suppose you must find it rather sad, living alone at Littlebath,
away from all your people?"

"I have my niece with me, you know."

"A niece, have you? That's one of the girls from Gower Street, I
suppose? It's very kind of you, and I dare say, very proper."

"But Littlebath is a very gay place, I thought," said John Ball, the
third and youngest of the name. "We always hear of it at Oxford as
being the most stunning place for parties anywhere near."

"I suppose you play cards every night of your life," said the
bar