attach to her for not returning the visit of a lady who had
been so civil to her, of that she thought nothing. Miss Todd had
herself declared that she would not be in the least offended. But
she liked this new acquaintance. In owning all the truth about Miss
Mackenzie, I must confess that her mind hankered after the things of
this world. She thought that if she could only establish herself as
Miss Todd was established, she would care nothing for the Stumfolds,
male or female.

But how was she to do this? An establishment in the Stumfold
direction might be easier.

In the course of the next week two affairs of moment occurred to
Miss Mackenzie. On the Wednesday morning she received from London a
letter of business which caused her considerable anxiety, and on the
Thursday afternoon a note was brought to her from Mrs Stumfold,--or
rather an envelope containing a card on which was printed an
invitation to drink tea with that lady on that day week. This
invitation she accepted without much doubt. She would go and see
Mrs Stumfold in her house, and would then be better able to decide
whether the mode of life practised by the Stumfold party would be
to her taste. So she wrote a reply, and sent it by her maid-servant,
greatly doubting whether she was not wrong in writing her answer on
common note-paper, and whether she also should not have supplied
herself with some form or card for the occasion.

The letter of business was from her brother Tom, and contained an
application for the loan of some money,--for the loan, indeed, of a
good deal of money. But the loan was to be made not to him but to
the firm of Rubb and Mackenzie, and was not to be a simple lending
of money on the faith of that firm, for purposes of speculation or
ordinary business. It was to be expended in the purchase of the
premises in the New Road, and Miss Mackenzie was to have a mortgage
on them, and was to receive five per cent for the money which she
should advance. The letter was long, and though it was manifest
even to Miss Mackenzie that he had written the first page with much
hesitation, he had waxed strong as he had gone on, and had really
made out a good case. "You are to understand," he said, "that this
is, of course, to be done through your own lawyer, who will not allow
you to make the loan unless he is satisfied with the security. Our
landlords are compelled to sell the premises, and unless we purchase
them ourselves, we shall in all probabili