thing, but she wants ballast. As a
rule, young ladies are terribly idle.'

I had called up at Gladwyn a few days after we had dined there, but, to
my great disappointment, I did not see Miss Hamilton. Miss Darrell was
alone, so my visit was as brief as possible.

She told me at once that her cousins had gone over to Brighton for an
afternoon's shopping, and that Mr. Hamilton had run up to London for a
few hours. And then she commenced plying me with questions in a ladylike
way about my work and my past life, but in such a skilful manner that it
was almost impossible to avoid answering. She was so sure that I must be
dull, living all alone. Oh, of course I was too good and unselfish to say
so, but all the same I must be miserably dull. What could have put such a
singular idea in my head, she wondered. When young ladies did this sort
of thing there was generally some painful reason: they were unhappy at
home, or they had had some disastrous love-affair. Of course--laughing
a little affectedly--she had no intention of hinting at such a reason in
my case; any one could see at a glance that I was not that sort of
person; I was far too sensible and matter-of-fact: gentlemen would be
quite afraid of me, I was so strong-minded. But all the same she pleaded
guilty to a feeling of natural curiosity why such an idea had come into
my head.

When I had warded off this successfully,--for I declined to enlighten
Miss Darrell on this subject,--she flew off at a tangent to Aunt
Philippa.

'It was such a pity when relations did not entirely harmonise. An aunt
could never replace a mother. Ah! she knew that too well: and when there
were daughters--and she had heard from Mr. Cunliffe that my cousin Sara
was excessively pretty and charming--no doubt there would be natural
misunderstandings and jealousies. In spite of all my goodness, I was only
human. Of course she understood perfectly how it all happened, and she
felt very sorry for me.'

I disclaimed the notion of any family disagreement with some warmth, but
I do not think she believed me. She had evidently got it into her head
that I was a strong-minded young woman with an uncertain temper, who
could not live peaceably at home. No doubt she had hinted this to Mrs.
Maberley and other ladies. She would make this the excuse for
discouraging any degree of intimacy with her cousins. I should not be
asked very often to Gladwyn if it depended on Miss Darrell; but Mr.
Hamilton had a will