t it. I do wish I had some money now. You won't mind
if I am not home quite early? We all mean to dine there at the
kitchen. The girls will bring something, and then we can stay out the
whole afternoon."

"It won't do for you to be out after nightfall, Clara."

"No, I won't, mamma. They did want me to go home with them to Castle
Richmond for to-morrow night; but I declined that," and Clara uttered
a slight sigh, as though she had declined something that would have
been very pleasant to her.

"And why did you decline it?"

"Oh, I don't know. I didn't know whether you would like it; and
besides--"

"Besides what?"

"You'd be here all alone, mamma."

The countess got up from her chair and coming over to the place where
her daughter was sitting, kissed her on her forehead. "In such a
matter as that, I don't want you to think of me, my dear. I would
rather you went out. I must remain here in this horrid, dull,
wretched place; but that is no reason why you should be buried alive.
I would much rather that you went out sometimes."

"No, mamma; I will remain with you."

"It will be quite right that you should go to Castle Richmond
to-morrow. If they send their carriage round here for you--"

"It'll only be the car."

"Well, the car; and if the girls come all that way out of their road
in the morning to pick you up, it will be only civil that you should
go back by Castle Richmond, and you would enjoy an evening there with
the girls very much."

"But I said decidedly that I would not go."

"Tell them to-morrow as decidedly that you have changed your
mind, and will be delighted to accept their invitation. They will
understand that it is because you have spoken to me."

"But, mamma--"

"You will like going; will you not?"

"Yes; I shall like it."

And so that matter was settled. On the whole, Lady Desmond was
inclined to admit within her own heart that her daughter had behaved
very well in that matter of the banishment of Owen Fitzgerald. She
knew that Clara had never seen him, and had refused to open his
letters. Very little had been said upon the subject between the
mother and daughter. Once or twice Owen's name had been mentioned;
and once, when it had been mentioned, with heavy blame on account of
his alleged sins, Clara had ventured to take his part.

"People delight to say ill-natured things," she had said; "but one is
not obliged to believe them all."

From that time Lady Desmond had never mentioned