and you know that you might as well
think of Mary buying Golconda; but you--you--with such beauty as
yours--might easily make a connection that would save it."

There was only a choked sound.

"I know you feel the situation painfully, after having been mistress
so long."

"Camilla, you _know_ it is not that!"

"Ah, my dear, I can see farther than you avow. You can't marry till
you are twenty-one, you know; but you might be very soon engaged,
and then we should see our way. It only depends on yourself.
Plenty of means, and no land to tie him down, ready to purchase and
to settle down. It would be the very thing; and I see you are a
thoroughly sensible girl, Lena."

"Indeed! I am not even sensible enough to know who is to be this
purchaser."

"Come, Lena, don't be affected. Why! he was the only poor creature
you were moderately gracious to."

"I! what do you mean?"

Lady Tyrrell laughed again.

"Oh!" in a tone of relief, "I can explain all that to you. All the
Strangeways family were at Rockpier the winter before you came, and
I made great friends with Margaret Strangeways, the eldest sister.
I wanted very much to hear about her, for she has had a great deal
of illness and trouble, and I had not ventured to write to her."

"Oh! was that the girl young Debenham gave up because her mother
worried him so incessantly, and who went into a Sisterhood?"

"It was she who broke it off. She found he had been forced into it
by his family, and was really attached elsewhere. I never knew the
rights of it till I saw the brother to-night."

"Very praiseworthy family confidence!"

"Camilla, you know I object to that tone."

"So do most young ladies, my dear--at least by word."

"And once for all, you need have no fancies about Mr. Lorimer
Strangeways. I am civil to him, of course, for Margaret's sake; and
Lady Susan was very kind to me; but if there were nothing else
against him, he is entirely out of the question, for I know he runs
horses and bets on them."

"So does everybody, more or less."

"And you! you, Camilla, after what the turf has cost us, can wish me
to encourage a man connected with it."

"My dear Lena, I know you had a great shock, which made the more
impression because you were such a child; but you might almost as
well forswear riding, as men who have run a few horses, or staked a
few thousands. Every young man of fortune has done so in his turn,
just by way of experiment--as a social