n on his back."

But Lady Inez was lying there, with the mark of "Reindeer's" iron hoof on
her temple. They had come down together at a blind fence; the horse,
entangled in her habit, struck out _once_, as thorough-breds will, but it
was a death-blow.

The voice of the child, crying alone and neglected in the nursery,
aroused Bella from a horror stricken stupor. Her father's despair made
him unapproachable, but she might comfort Bertie, forgotten by his
attendants.

From this time she became almost a mother to him, for Mr. Du Meresq went
abroad, and they were left alone in the deserted house for some years.

Bertie had left Eton, and just obtained a commission in the ---- Hussars,
when his father died, leaving him a moderate fortune, which steadily
decreased as years went by. It had approached attenuation by this time,
and Mrs. Rolleston felt as distracted and perplexed as a duckling's hen
foster-mother, at the vagaries of the happy-go-lucky, reckless Irish
blood in Bertie, which did not flow in her own veins.

She looked forward to marrying him to Cecil, as the best chance of
relieving his pecuniary difficulties and reforming his unsteadiness.

Captain Du Meresq had stayed with them for six weeks some time ago,
when he and Cecil became inseparable companions, and it was then that
the idea had dawned upon her. She would not openly discuss it with her
brother--that would have too much the appearance of a plot: but her
lively satisfaction at the prospect was apparent enough, and Bertie knew
her co-operation would not be wanting.

He had thought of it more than once. What chance had he not calculated
to get him through his sea of difficulties; but a thousand a year alone
seemed scarcely sufficient temptation to matrimony, to which he did not
seriously incline. Indeed, his warm impressionable nature was not the
temperament of a fortune-hunter.

He was attracted with Cecil, and got rather fond of her in the six weeks
he had been trying to make her in love with him, not with any mercenary
view, but because such was his usual custom with girls.

But he was afflicted with a keen eye for beauty, and Cecil was plain to
most eyes, and too colourless for his taste, though she possessed a
lovely figure, thorough-bred little head, and a pale, intelligent,
expressive face.

Bluebell's lilies and roses and Hebe-like contour caught his eye in a
moment, of which Cecil felt an instinctive conviction; but though, with a
woman's