ton winced, but she answered almost immediately:

'My dear, we shall get someone a great deal grander than that wretched
Marquis. There will be a whole crowd of English dukes and earls at the
Castle next year; men who haven't a mortgage on their property, and who
will all fight for the hand of my beautiful Olive. Mr. Harding, Alice's
friend, will put your portrait into one of the Society papers as the
Galway beauty, and then next year you may be her Grace.'

'And how will they do my portrait, mamma?'

'I think you look best, darling, with your hair done up on the top of
your head, in the French fashion.'

'Oh! do you think so? You don't like the way I have it done in now?'
said the girl; and, laughing, she ran to the glass to admire herself.
'Barnes said I looked sweet this morning;' and five minutes after she
was tossing her head nervously, declaring she was miserable, and often
she burst out crying for no assignable cause. Mrs. Barton consoled and
flattered gaily; but the sweet placid countenance was sometimes a little
troubled. As the girls left the breakfast-room one morning she said, as
if asking their advice:

'I have just received an invitation from Dungory Castle; they are giving
a tennis-party, and they want us to go to lunch.'

'Oh! mamma, I don't want to go,' cried Olive.

'And why, my dear?'

'Oh! because everybody knows about the Marquis, and I couldn't bear
their sneers; those Brennans and the Duffys are sure to be there.'

'Bertha's in Dublin,' said Mrs. Barton, in an intonation of voice a
little too expressive of relief.

'Gladys is just as bad; and then there's that horrid Zoe. Oh! I couldn't
bear it.'

'It will look as if we were avoiding them; they will only talk the more.
I always think it is best to put a bold face on everything.'

'I couldn't, I couldn't. I'm broken-hearted, that's what I am. I have
nothing to do or to think of.'

There could be little doubt that the Ladies Cullen had got up the
tennis-party so that they might have an opportunity of sneering at her,
but Milord would keep them in check (it might be as well to tell him to
threaten to put down the school if they did not keep a guard on their
tongues), and if Olive would only put a bold face on it and captivate
Sir Charles, this very disagreeable business might blow over. Further
than this Mrs. Barton's thoughts did not travel, but they were clear and
precise thoughts, and with much subtlety and insinuative force she
ap