Wednesday, _November 9th._
(Continued.)

Malcolm walked beside me going to church the next day. He looked a little
less depressed, and I tried to cheer him up.

He did not tell me what his worries were, but Jean had said something
about it when she came into my room as I was getting ready. It appears he
has got into trouble over a horse called Angela Grey--Jean gathered this
from Lady Katherine; she said her father was very angry about it, as he
had spent so much money on it.

To me it does not sound like a horse's name, and I told Jean so, but she
was perfectly horrified, and said it must be a horse, because they were
not acquainted with any Angela Grey, and did not even know any Greys at
all. So it must be a horse!

I think that a ridiculous reason, as Mrs. Carruthers said all young men
knew people one wouldn't want to; and it was silly to make a fuss about
it, and that they couldn't help it, and they would be very dull if they
were as good as gold, like girls.

But I expect Lady Katherine thinks differently about things to Mrs.
Carruthers, and the daughters the same.

I shall ask Lord Robert when I see him again if it is a horse or not.

Malcolm is not attractive, and I was glad the church was not far off.

No carriages are allowed out on Sunday, so we had to walk; and coming back
it began to rain, and we could not go round the stables, which I
understand is the custom here every Sunday.

Everything is done because it is the custom, not because you want to amuse
yourself.

"When it rains and we can't go round the stables," Kirstie said, "we look
at the old _Illustrated London News_, and go on our way from afternoon
church."

I did not particularly want to do that, so stayed in my room as long as I
could. The four girls were seated at a large table in the hall, each with
a volume in front of her when I got down at last. They must know every
picture by heart, if they do it every Sunday it rains--they stay in
England all the winter.

Jean made room for me beside her.

"I am at the 'Sixties,'" she said. "I finished the 'Fifties' last Easter."
So they evidently do even this with a method.

I asked her if there were not any new books they wanted to read, but she
said Lady Katherine did not care for their looking at magazines or novels
unless she had been through them first, and she had not time for many, so
the