y.

But Minnie was better than her promise. "Mamma," she said the next
day, "do you know that she hates to be called Lady Anna."

"What makes you think so?"

"I am sure of it. She told me so. Everybody has always been talking
about it ever since she was born, and she says she is so sick of it."

"But, my dear, people must be called by their names. If it is her
proper name she ought not to hate it. I can understand that people
should hate an assumed name."

"I am Miss Mary Lovel, but I should not at all like it if everybody
called me Miss Mary. The servants call me Miss Mary, but if papa and
aunt Julia did so, I should think they were scolding me."

"But Lady Anna is not papa's daughter."

"She is his cousin. Isn't she his cousin, mamma? I don't think people
ought to call their cousins Lady Anna. I have promised that I won't.
Cousin Frederic said that she was his cousin. What will he call her?"

"I cannot tell, my dear. We shall all know her better by that time."
Mrs. Lovel, however, followed her daughter's lead, and from that time
the poor girl was Anna to all of them,--except to the rector. He
listened, and thought that he would try it; but his heart failed him.
He would have preferred that she should be an impostor, were that
still possible. He would so much have preferred that she should not
exist at all! He did not care for her beauty. He did not feel the
charm of her simplicity. It was one of the hardships of the world
that he should be forced to have her there in his rectory. The Lovel
wealth was indispensable to the true heir of the Lovels, and on
behalf of his nephew and his family he had been induced to consent;
but he could not love the interloper. He still dreamed of coming
surprises that would set the matter right in a manner that would be
much preferable to a marriage. The girl might be innocent,--as his
wife and sister told him; but he was sure that the mother was an
intriguing woman. It would be such a pity that they should have
entertained the girl, if,--after all,--the woman should at last be
but a pseudo-countess! As others had ceased to call her Lady Anna,
he could not continue to do so; but he managed to live on with her
without calling her by any name.

In the meantime Cousin Anna went about among the poor with Minnie
and Aunt Julia, and won golden opinions. She was soft, feminine,
almost humble,--but still with a dash of humour in her, when she was
sufficiently at her ease with them to b