shall take care he knows what a shame and
disgrace it would be. Oh no; he will not dare.'

'She is awfully old,' said Ida.

'Not near so old as Miss Pottle, who was married yesterday,' said
Constance, who, at the time of her father's death, and at other times
when the presence of a young child was felt to be inconvenient at home,
had stayed with her grandmother at Hurminster, and had grown fond of Miss
Marshall.

'Don't talk about what you know nothing about, Constance,' broke in her
mother. 'Your uncle, Lord Northmoor, ain't going to lower and demean
himself by dragging a mere school teacher up into the peerage, to cut out
poor Herbert and all his family. There's that bell again! I shall go
and let Mrs. Leeson know how we are situated, and that I shall give her
notice one of these days. Clear the table, girls; we don't know who may
be dropping in.'

This done, chiefly by Constance, the sisters put on their hats, and
sallied forth with their astounding news to such of their friends as were
within reach, and by the time they had finished their expedition they
were convinced of their own nobility, and prepared to be called Lady Ida
and Lady Constance Northmoor on the spot.

When they came in they found the parlour being prepared for company, and
were sent to procure sausages and muffins for tea. Mrs. Morton had, on
reflection, decided that it was inexpedient to answer her brother-in-law
till she had ascertained, as she said, her just rights, and she had
invited to tea Mr. and Mrs. Rollstone and, to Constance's delight, his
little daughter Rose, their neighbours a few doors off; but as Rose was
attending classes, it had been useless to go to her before.

Mr. Rollstone was a great authority, for he had spent the best part of
his life in what he termed the first families of the highest circles. He
had been hall boy to a duke, footman to a viscountess, valet to an earl,
butler to a right honourable baronet, M.P., and when he had retired on
the death of the baronet and marriage with the housekeeper he had brought
away a red volume, by name _Burke's Peerage_, by which, as well as by his
previous knowledge, he was enabled to serve as an oracle respecting all
owners of yachts worthy of consideration. If their names were not
recorded in that book, he scorned them as '_parvenoos_,' however perfect
their vessels might be in the eyes of mariners. The edition was indeed a
quarter of a century old, but he had kept it up