ax, and tried to pretend that I felt quite myself,
and was not the least uneasy in my mind,--as though I could deceive Max.

'Well, Ursula,' he said, shaking his head at me, 'did Hamilton or Mrs.
Drabble give you those hot cheeks?'

'Oh, Uncle Max,' I returned hastily, 'I am so sorry Mr. Hamilton is your
friend.'

'Why so, little she-bear?'

'Because--because--I detest him: he is the most disagreeable,
insufferable, domineering person I have ever met.'

'Candid; but then you were always outspoken, my dear. Now, shall I tell
you what this disagreeable, insufferable, domineering person said to me
in the hall?'

'Oh, nothing he said will make any difference in my opinion, I assure
you.'

'Possibly not, but it is too good to be lost. He said, "That little girl
actually believes in herself and her work; it is quite refreshing to meet
with such _naivete_ nowadays. Ursula did you call her? Well, the name
just suits her." How do you like that, poor little bear?'

'I like it as well as I liked all Mr. Hamilton's speeches. Max, do you
really care for that odious man? Must I be civil to him?'

'Indeed, I hope you will be civil, Ursula,' replied Uncle Max, in an
alarmed voice. 'My dear, Giles Hamilton, Esq., is my most influential
parishioner; he is rich; he doctors all my poor people _gratis_, bullies
them one moment, and does them a good turn in the next; he is clever,
kind-hearted, and has no end of good points, and, though he is eccentric
and has plenty of faults, we chum together excellently, and I am very
intimate with his people.'

'His people--who are they?' I asked irritably.

'Oh, it is a queer household up at Gladwyn,' returned Max, rather
uneasily. 'Hamilton has a cousin living with him, as well as his two
sisters; her name is Darrell,--Etta Darrell; she is a stylish-looking
woman, about five-and-thirty; one never knows a lady's age exactly.'

'Are his sisters very young, then? Does Miss Darrell manage the house?'

'Yes. How could you guess that?' looking at me in surprise. 'Gladys,
Miss Hamilton, is about three-and-twenty, but she is very delicate;
the younger one, Elizabeth, is two years younger; they are Hamilton's
half-sisters,--his father married twice: that accounts for a good deal.'

'How do you mean,--accounts for a good deal, Max?'

'Why people say that Hamilton doesn't always get on with his sisters,'
he returned reluctantly: 'there are often misunderstandings in
families,--want of harmony, a