every attempt of her mother's to get her to marry
advantageously, and, even more, Mrs. Deerhurst's devotion to Lady
Hester, tore away more and more of the veil she had tried to keep over
her eyes; and as her youngest sister grew up into bloom, and into the
wish for society, Emily had been allowed more and more to go her own
quiet way in the religious and charitable life of Shinglebay, where she
had peace, if not joy.

And then came the Dayman affair, when all the old persecution revived
again, and Emily's foremost defence against him, her blushing objection
to his birth, was set aside as a mere prudish fancy of a young girl.

The gentle Emily had been irate then, and all the more when her mother
tried to cover her inconsistency by alleging that everybody knew of
Lord Torwood's fall, whereas no one knew or cared who Francis Dayman
was, or where he came from. Henceforth Emily's shame at the usage of
Fulk had been double--or rather it turned into indignation. Reports
that he was to marry a rich grazier's daughter had no effect in turning
her in pique to Dayman. She had firmly told her mother that if it were
wrong for her to take the one, it must be equally so to take the other.

This Mrs. Deerhurst had concealed from poor Mr. Dayman; nor would
Emily's modesty allow her to utter the objection to the man's own face.
So Mrs. Deerhurst encouraged him, and trusted to London reports of the
grazier's daughter, and persevering appeals to that filial sense of
duty which had been strained so much too far.

And now, how did it stand?

When I, secure in knowing that Alured was safe at home, thinking it
abominable nonsense in Miss Deerhurst to have bothered about scarlet
fever, Hester herself had said so. When I could hear Fulk's happiness,
and try to analyse it, what did it amount to?

Why, that they knew they loved one another still, and never meant to
cease. And with what hopes? Alas! the hopes were all for some time or
other. Emily would do nothing in flat disobedience, and there was
little or no hope of her mother's consent to her marrying Farmer
Torwood. She meant to tell her mother thus much, that she had seen
him, and that they loved each other as much as ever; and as Mrs.
Deerhurst had waived the objection to Dayman, it could not hold in the
other case. It would be, in fact, a tacit compact--scarcely an
engagement--with what amount of meeting or correspondence must be left
for duty and principle to decide, but t