oing, are you?"
said he. "Miss Ray has ill-treated me so dreadfully that I can't
express my regret." "Ill-treated you, too, has she? Upon my word,
my dear, you've shown yourself quite great upon the occasion. When
I was a girl, there was nothing I liked so much as offending all my
partners." But Rachel was red with dismay, and wretched that such an
accusation should be made against her. "Oh, Mrs. Cornbury, I didn't
mean to offend him! I'll explain it all in the carriage. What will
you think of me?" "Think, my dear?--why, I shall think that you are
going to turn all the young men's heads in Baslehurst. But I shall
hear all about it from Walter to-morrow. He tells me of all his loves
and all his disappointments."

While the carriage was being brought round, Rachel kept close to
her chaperon; but every now and again her eyes, in spite of herself,
would wander away to Mr. Rowan. Was he in any way affected by her
leaving him, or was it all a joke to him? He was dancing now with
Cherry Tappitt, and Rachel was sure that all of it was a joke.
But it was a cruel joke,--cruel because it exposed her to so much
ill-natured remark. With him she would quarrel,--quarrel really.
She would let him know that he should not call her by her Christian
name just when it suited him to do so, and then take himself off
to play with others in the same way. She would tell Cherry, and
make Cherry understand that all walks and visiting and friendly
intercommunications must be abandoned because this young man would
take advantage of her position to annoy her! He should be made to
understand that she was not in his power! Then, as she thought of
this, she caught his eye as he made a sudden stop in the dance close
to her, and all her hard thoughts died away. Ah, dear, what was it
that she wanted of him?

At that moment they got up to go away. Such a person as Mrs. Butler
Cornbury could not, of course, escape without a parade of adieux. Mr.
Tappitt was searched up from the little room in which the card-party
held their meeting in order that he might hand the guest that had
honoured him down to her carriage; and Mrs. Tappitt fluttered about,
profuse in her acknowledgments for the favour done to them. "And we
do so hope Mr. Cornbury will be successful," she said, as she bade
her last farewell. This was spoken close to Mr. Tappitt's ear; and
Mrs. Cornbury flattered herself that after that Mr. Tappitt's vote
would be secure. Mr. Tappitt said nothing abou