gave it freely. She made nothing better,
and nothing worse, as regarded Mrs. Filmer's opposition; but she did
unconsciously idealize Harry, and she did make excuses for his
pusillanimity.

Miss Alida was disposed to encourage this attitude. In the first
place, she found it agreeable to be in opposition to Mrs. Filmer. In
the second, she had set her wishes on this union of the two branches
of her family. In the third, she had been pleasantly impressed by
Harry's face and manner. She, therefore, encouraged Adriana's
apologies. She said, in the present day it was a wonder to find a
young man disposed to put the welfare of his family before his own
gratification; and though she admitted Harry to have been prominently
"gay," she considered his attitude as natural an expression of
disappointment as Adriana's gloomy melancholy had been. "You went to
the house of mourning, Adriana," she continued, "and Harry went to the
house of feasting; and, my dear, I boldly affirm that in some cases
the house of mourning is just as selfish and wicked as the house of
feasting. When did you hear from Rose? Has she written to you
lately?"

"Yes; but her letters are different. They are not less kind; but they
are less confidential."

"Well, I admire that she writes at all. When I was a girl I durst no
more have written to a person whom my mother did not approve than I
durst have lifted the fire in my hands. Does she say anything about
Antony?"

"Sometimes she fills her letters with Antony; again, she never names
him. Her letters have a strange tone, I may say, an indiscreetness
that amazes me."

"She is indiscreet. I hardly know how to say softly enough the words
necessary to explain this condition; but the fact is, she ought not to
touch wine, and she does touch it. A certain Mr. Duval has a bad
influence over Rose Filmer. I never see them together but there is a
champagne glass in proximity. Dancing leads them to the wine, and the
wine leads them to the dance; and the reiterated transition becomes
disagreeable to the onlookers. One night last week I saw Antony go to
her, and after a perceptible word of import to Duval, take Miss Filmer
away on his arm. The affair was so rapid that few saw it; and
fortunately, those few supposed it to be a love quarrel between the
men. But I, who am a looker-on in Vanity Fair, often see more than
meets the eye; and in this case I had a family feeling both as regards
Rose and Antony. In fact, I had gone