and
India, and the Transvaal,--wherever English boys are sent to advance
their fortunes. Had her destination been Canada or Australia, Imogen
would have found no difficulty in adjusting her ideas to it, but the
United States were a _terra incognita_. Knowing absolutely nothing about
them, she had constructed out of a fertile fancy and a few facts an
altogether imaginary America, not at all like the real one; peopled by
strange folk quite un-English in their ideas and ways, and very hard to
understand and live with. In vain did Lionel protest and explain; his
remonstrances were treated as proofs of the degeneracy and blindness
induced by life in "The States," and to all his appeals she opposed that
calm, obstinate disbelief which is the weapon of a limited intellect and
experience, and is harder to deal with than the most passionate
convictions.

Unknown to herself a little sting of underlying jealousy tinctured these
opinions. For many years Isabel Templestowe had been her favorite
friend, the person she most admired and looked up to. They had been at
school together,--Isabel always taking the lead in everything, Imogen
following and imitating. The Templestowes were better born than the
Youngs, they took a higher place in the county; it was a distinction as
well as a tender pleasure to be intimate in the house. Once or twice
Isabel had gone to her married sister in London for a taste of the
"season." No such chance had ever fallen to Imogen's lot, but it was
next best to get letters, and hear from Isabel of all that she had seen
and done; thus sharing the joys at second-hand, as it were.

Isabel had other intimates, some of whom were more to her than Imogen
could be, but they lived at a distance and Imogen close at hand.
Propinquity plays a large part in friendship as well as love. Imogen had
no other intimate, but she knew too little of Isabel's other interests
to be made uncomfortable about them, and was quite happy in her position
as nearest and closest confidante until, four years before, Geoffrey
Templestowe came home for a visit, bringing with him his American wife,
whose name before her marriage had been Clover Carr, and whom some of
you who read this will recognize as an old friend.

Young, sweet, pretty, very happy, and "horribly well-dressed," as poor
Imogen in her secret soul admitted, Clover easily and quickly won the
liking of her "people-in-law." All the outlying sons and daughters who
were within reac