was self-willed, and upon this occasion
would have neither of them. "Mr Joe Fairstairs must pass the house,"
said she, "and he will see us home. Mr Cheesacre, good night. Indeed
you shall not;--not a step." There was that in her voice which
induced Mr Cheesacre to obey her, and which made Captain Bellfield
aware that he would only injure his cause if he endeavoured to make
further progress in it on the present occasion.

"Well, Kate, what do you think of the day?" the aunt said when she
was alone with her niece.

"I never think much about such days, aunt. It was all very well, but
I fear I have not the temperament fitted for enjoying the fun. I
envied Ophelia Walker because she made herself thoroughly happy."

"I do like to see girls enjoy themselves," said Mrs Greenow, "I do,
indeed;--and young men too. It seems so natural; why shouldn't young
people flirt?"

"Or old people either for the matter of that?"

"Or old people either,--if they don't do any harm to anybody. I'll
tell you what it is, Kate; people have become so very virtuous, that
they're driven into all manner of abominable resources for amusement
and occupation. If I had sons and daughters I should think a little
flirting the very best thing for them as a safety valve. When people
get to be old, there's a difficulty. They want to flirt with the
young people and the young people don't want them. If the old people
would be content to flirt together, I don't see why they should ever
give it up;--till they're obliged to give up every thing, and go
away."

That was Mrs Greenow's doctrine on the subject of flirtation.

CHAPTER X

Nethercoats

We will leave Mrs Greenow with her niece and two sisters at Yarmouth,
and returning by stages to London, will call upon Mr Grey at his
place in Cambridgeshire as we pass by. I believe it is conceded by
all the other counties, that Cambridgeshire possesses fewer rural
beauties than any other county in England. It is very flat; it is
not well timbered; the rivers are merely dikes; and in a very large
portion of the county the farms and fields are divided simply by
ditches--not by hedgerows. Such arrangements are, no doubt, well
adapted for agricultural purposes, but are not conducive to rural
beauty. Mr Grey's residence was situated in a part of Cambridgeshire
in which the above-named characteristics are very much marked. It was
in the Isle of Ely, some few miles distant from the Cathedral town,
on the side