in return. The deuce is
in it if we can't have our way with her among us. When you talk of ill
usage nobody wants you to put her in chains. There are different ways of
killing a cat. You get friends to write to you from England about young
Annesley, and I'll do the same. The truth, of course, I mean."

"Nothing can be worse than the truth," said Mrs. Mountjoy, shaking her
head, sorrowfully.

"Just so," said Sir Magnus, who was not at all sorrowful to hear so bad
an account of the favored suitor. "Then we'll read her the letters. She
can't help hearing them. Just the true facts, you know. That's fair;
nobody can call that cruel. And then, when she breaks down and comes to
our call, we'll all be as soft as mother's milk to her. I shall see her
going about the boulevards with a pair of ponies yet." Mrs. Mountjoy
felt that when Sir Magnus spoke of Florence coming to his call he did
not know her daughter. But she had nothing better to do than to obey Sir
Magnus. Therefore she resolved to stay at Brussels another period of six
weeks and told Florence that she had so resolved. Just at present
Brussels and Cheltenham would be all the same to Florence.

"It will be a dreadful bore having them so long," said poor Lady
Mountjoy, piteously, to her husband. For in the presence of Sir Magnus
she was by no means the valiant woman that she was with some of her
friends.

"You find everything a bore. What's the trouble?"

"What am I to do with them?"

"Take 'em about in the carriage. Lord bless my soul! what have you got a
carriage for?"

"Then, with Miss Abbott, there's never room for any one else."

"Leave Miss Abbott at home, then. What's the good of talking to me about
Miss Abbott? I suppose it doesn't matter to you whom my brother's
daughter marries?" Lady Mountjoy did not think that it did matter much;
but she declared that she had already evinced the most tender
solicitude. "Then stick to it. The girl doesn't want to go out every
day. Leave her alone, where Anderson can get at her."

"He's always out riding with you."

"No, he's not; not always. And leave Miss Abbott at home. Then there'll
be room for two others. Don't make difficulties. Anderson will expect
that I shall do something for him, of course."

"Because of the money," said Lady Mountjoy, whispering.

"And I've got to do something for her too." Now, there was a spice of
honesty about Sir Magnus. He knew that as he could not at once pay back
these sums, he