of that submissiveness which, though Ayala herself had not been
submissive, belonged, as of right, to girls so dependent as she and
her sister Lucy. "I am so delighted to see you at Stalham," said
Ayala, as she embraced her aunt.

"I am come to you," said Lady Tringle, "on a matter of very
particular business." Then she paused, and assumed a look of peculiar
solemnity.

"Have you got my letter?" demanded Ayala.

"I got your telegram, and I thought it very civil of Lady Albury. But
I cannot stay. Your poor cousin Tom is in such a condition that I
cannot leave him longer than I can help."

"But you have not got my letter?"

"I have had no letter from you, Ayala."

"I have sent you such news,--oh, such news, Aunt Emmeline!"

"What news, my dear?" Lady Tringle as she asked the question seemed
to become more solemn than ever.

"Oh, Aunt Emmeline--; I am--"

"You are what, Ayala?"

"I am engaged to be married to Colonel Jonathan Stubbs."

"Engaged!"

"Yes, Aunt Emmeline;--engaged. I wrote to you on Tuesday to tell you
all about it. I hope you and Uncle Tom will approve. There cannot
possibly be any reason against it,--except only that I have nothing
to give him in return; that is in the way of money. Colonel Stubbs,
Aunt Emmeline, is not what Uncle Tom will call a rich man, but
everybody here says that he has got quite enough to be comfortable.
If he had nothing in the world it could not make any difference to
me. I don't understand how anybody is to love any one or not to love
him just because he is rich or poor."

"But you are absolutely engaged!" exclaimed Lady Tringle.

"Oh dear yes. Perhaps you would like to ask Lady Albury about it. He
did want it before, you know."

"But now you are engaged to him?" In answer to this Ayala thought it
sufficient simply to nod her head. "It is all over then?"

"All over!" exclaimed Ayala. "It is just going to begin."

"All over for poor Tom," said Lady Tringle.

"Oh yes. It was always over for him, Aunt Emmeline. I told him ever
so many times that it never could be so. Don't you know, Aunt
Emmeline, that I did?"

"But you said that to this man just the same."

"Aunt Emmeline," said Ayala, putting on all the serious dignity which
she knew how to assume, "I am engaged to Colonel Stubbs, and nothing
on earth that anybody can say can change it. If you want to hear all
about it, Lady Albury will tell you. She knows that you are my aunt,
and therefore she will be qui