e, or
stay with you while you are there, just as you like."

"I particularly want you to stay with me," said she, "and as we go up
to town I will tell you all about it."

She observed that before her cousin left the house on that day, his
mother got hold of him and was alone with him for nearly half an
hour. After that, Lady Ball was alone with Sir John, in his own room,
for another half hour. The old baronet had become older, of course,
and much weaker, since his niece had last been at the Cedars, and was
now seldom seen about the house till the afternoon.

Of all the institutions at the Cedars that of the carriage was the
most important. Miss Mackenzie found that the carriage arrangement
had been fixed upon a new and more settled basis since her last
visit. Then it used to go out perhaps as often as three times a week.
But there did not appear to be any fixed rule. Like other carriages,
it did, to a certain degree, come when it was wanted. But now there
was, as I have said, a settled basis. The carriage came to the door
on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, exactly at two o'clock, and
Sir John with Lady Ball were driven about till four.

On the first Tuesday of her visit Miss Mackenzie had gone with her
uncle and aunt, and even she had found the pace to be very slow, and
the whole affair to be very dull. Her uncle had once enlivened the
thing by asking her whether she had found any lovers since she went
to Littlebath, and this question had perplexed her very much. She
could not say that she had found none, and as she was not prepared
to acknowledge that she had found any, she could only sit still and
blush.

"Women have plenty of lovers when they have plenty of money," said
the baronet.

"I don't believe that Margaret thinks of anything of the kind," said
Lady Ball.

After that Margaret determined to have as little to do with the
carriage as possible, and on that evening she learned from her cousin
that the horses had been sold to the man who farmed the land, and
were hired every other day for two hours' work.

It was on the Thursday morning that Miss Mackenzie had spoken of
going into town on the morrow, and on that day when her aunt asked
her about the driving, she declined.

"I hope that nothing your uncle said on Tuesday annoyed you?"

"Oh dear, no; but if you don't mind it, I'd rather stay at home."

"Of course you shall if you like it," said her aunt; "and by-the-by,
as I want to speak to you, an