without the civilizing atmosphere at the park."

"Never."

"No, I was not her equal in energy and beneficence, and I was younger
when you came. But I feel for her longing to be up and doing, and her
puzzled chafing against constraint and conventionality, though it breaks
out in very odd effervescences."

"Extremely generous of you when you must be bored to death with her
interminable talk."

"You don't appreciate the pleasure of variety! Besides, she really
interests me, she is so full of vigorous crudities. I believe all that
is unpleasing in her arises from her being considered as the clever
woman of the family; having no man nearly connected enough to keep her
in check, and living in society that does not fairly meet her. I want
you to talk to her, and take her in hand."

"Me! Thank you, Ermine! Why, I could not even stand her talking about
you, though she has the one grace of valuing you."

"Then you ought, in common gratitude, for there is no little greatness
of soul in patiently coming down to Mackarel Lane to be snubbed by one's
cousin's governess's sister."

"If you will come up to Myrtlewood, you don't know what you may do."

"No, you are to set no more people upon me, though Lady Temple's eyes
are very wistful."

"I did not think you would have held out against her."

"Not when I had against you? No, indeed, though I never did see anybody
more winning than she is in that meek, submissive gentleness! Alison
says she has cheered up and grown like another creature since your
arrival."

"And Alexander Keith's. Yes, poor thing, we have brought something of
her own old world, where she was a sort of little queen in her way. It
is too much to ask me to have patience with these relations, Ermine.
If you could see the change from the petted creature she was with her
mother and husband, almost always the first lady in the place, and
latterly with a colonial court of her own, and now, ordered about,
advised, domineered over, made nobody of, and taking it as meekly and
sweetly as if she were grateful for it! I verily believe she is! But she
certainly ought to come away."

"I am not so sure of that. It seems to me rather a dangerous
responsibility to take her away from her own relations, unless there
were any with equal claims."

"They are her only relations, and her husband had none. Still to be
under the constant yoke of an overpowering woman with unfixed opinions
seems to be an unmitigated evil for her