s done for her pleasure. A charming little saddle-horse, two
riding-habits, with a groom, and a horse for him, were sent down from
London for her benefit; gifts showered upon her; and whenever she found
her husband in one of those perplexing accesses of tenderness she was
sure to carry away some wonderful present, a beautiful jewelled watch,
an _etui_ case, a fan, a scent-bottle, or patch-box with a charming
enamel of a butterfly. The little girls were always looking for
something pretty that she would show them in the morning, and thought
it must be a fine thing to have a husband who gave such charming things.
Those caressing evenings, however, always frightened Aurelia, and sent
her away vaguely uneasy, often to lie awake full of a vague yearning
and alarm; and several days of restlessness would pass before she could
return to her ordinary enjoyment of her days with the children and her
evenings with Mr. Belamour. Yet when there was any long intermission
of those fits of tender affection, she missed them sorely, and began to
fear she had given offence, especially as this strangely capricious man
seemed sometimes to repel those modest, timid advances which at other
times would fill him with ill-suppressed transport. Then came longings
to see and satisfy herself as to what was indeed the aspect of him whom
she was learning to love.

No wonder there was something unsettled and distressed about her,
overthrowing much of that gentle duteous ness which she had brought from
home. She wrote but briefly and scantily to her sister, not feeling as
if she could give full confidence; she drifted away from some of the
good habits enjoined on her, feeling that, as a married woman, she was
less under authority. She was less thorough in her religious ways, less
scrupulous in attending to the children's lessons; and the general fret
of her uncertainties told upon her temper with them. They loved her
heartily still, and she returned their affection, but she was not so
uniformly patient and good-humoured. Indeed since Amoret's departure
some element of harmony was missing, and it could not now be said that
a whine, a quarrel, or a cry was a rare event. Even the giving up my
lady's wearisome piece of embroidery had scarcely a happy effect,
for Aurelia missed the bracing of the task-work and the attention it
required, and the unoccupied time was spent in idle fretting. A little
self-consequence too began to set in, longing for further recog