o
relinquish their hold. It can hardly be said that up to this very time
Mrs. Mountjoy had lost all hope in her nephew, thinking that as the
property had been entailed some portion of it must ultimately belong to
him. She had heard that Augustus was to have it, and her desires had
vacillated between the two. Then Harry had positively declared himself,
and Augustus had given her to understand how wretched, how mean, how
wicked had been Harry's conduct. And he fully explained to her that
Harry would be penniless. She had indeed been aware that Buston,--quite a
trifling thing compared to Tretton,--was to belong to him. But entails
were nothing nowadays. It was part of the radical abomination to which
England was being subjected. Not even Buston was now to belong to Harry
Annesley. The small income which he had received from his uncle was
stopped. He was reduced to live upon his fellowship,--which would be
stopped also if he married. She even despised him because he was the
fellow of a college;--she had looked for a husband for her daughter so
much higher than any college could produce. It was not from any lack of
motherly love that she was opposed to Florence, or from any innate
cruelty that she handed her daughter over to the tender mercies of Lady
Mountjoy.

And since she had been at Brussels there had come up farther hopes.
Another mode had shown itself of escaping Harry Annesley, who was of all
catastrophes the most dreaded and hated. Mr. Anderson, the second
secretary of legation,--he whose business it was to ride about the
boulevard with Sir Magnus,--had now declared himself in form. "Never saw
a fellow so bowled over," Sir Magnus had declared, by which he had
intended to signify that Mr. Anderson was now truly in love. "I've seen
him spooney a dozen times," Sir Magnus had said, confidentially, to his
sister-in-law, "but he has never gone to this length. He has asked a lot
of girls to have him, but he has always been off it again before the
week was over. He has written to his mother now."

And Mr. Anderson showed his love by very unmistakable signs. Sir Magnus
too, and Lady Mountjoy, were evidently on the same side as Mr. Anderson.
Sir Magnus thought there was no longer any good in waiting for his
nephew, the captain, and of that other nephew, Augustus, he did not
entertain any very high idea. Sir Magnus had corresponded lately with
Augustus, and was certainly not on his side. But he so painted Mr.
Anderson's pros