set her by her mother and grandmother, and the majority of
women generally. She had not thought herself very likely to marry for
some time back; for the county had wonderfully few young men in it, and
she had no desire ever to leave home. But when Providence sent Eustace
Thynne in her way, there was no reason why she should shut her eyes to
that divine and benevolent intention. She softened in some ways, but
hardened in others, during the course of the year. In matters upon which
Eustace Thynne agreed with her,--and these were the principal features
of her social creed,--she was more determined than ever, having his
moral support to fall back upon: and would not allow the possibility
of a doubt. And this made her the more severe upon Theo, for in all
questions of propriety Mr. Thynne was with her, heart and soul.

As usually happens in the forming of new bonds, the old ones were a
little strained while the process was going on. Chatty, who had been
very deeply interested at first, when she saw in her elder sister
symptoms of a state about which she herself had entertained only the
vaguest dreams, became sometimes a little tired of it, when she found
one of the results to be a growing inclination to get rid of herself.
When they went out together to visit a pensioner, if they met Mr. Thynne
(as they often did) on the road, Minnie would stop at the end of the
lane. "Will you just run in and see how old Sarah is?" she would say to
Chatty. "Two of us in such a little place is too much for the poor old
dear;" and Mr. Thynne would remark, in a low voice, that Miss Warrender
was so considerate (if everybody would be as considerate!), and linger
and talk, while Chatty went and informed herself about all old Sarah's
ills. This, however, the younger sister could have borne; but when she
found, on rejoining the pair, that they had been discussing Theo, and
that Minnie had been asking Mr. Thynne's advice, and that he entirely
agreed with her, and thought she was quite right about Lady Markland,
Chatty's spirit rose. "I would not talk about Theo to any one," she
said, indignantly. "Who do you call any one? Mr. Thynne takes a great
interest in all of us, and he is a clergyman, and of whom should one ask
advice if not of a clergyman?" Minnie replied, with triumphant logic.
"If he was a bishop, I would not talk over Theo; not with him, nor any
one," Chatty replied. She had always been inclined to take Theo's part,
and she became his par