everything because a young man like that will go on
making himself disagreeable. They have no right to do it after having
accustomed Ayala to such a home. Don't you feel that, Aunt Dosett?"

"I do feel it."

"However it might have been arranged at first, it ought to remain
now. Even though Ayala and I are only girls, we ought not to be
changed about as though we were horses. If she had done anything
wrong,--but Uncle Tom says that she has done nothing wrong."

"I suppose she has spoken to her aunt disrespectfully."

"Because her aunt told her that she had encouraged this man. What
would you have a girl say when she is falsely accused like that?
Would you say it to me merely because some horrid man would come and
speak to me?" Then there came a slight pang of conscience as she
remembered Isadore Hamel in Kensington Gardens. If the men were not
thought to be horrid, then perhaps the speaking might be a sin worthy
of most severe accusation.

There was nothing more said about it that night, nor till the
following afternoon, when Mr. Dosett returned home at the usual
hour from his office. Then Lucy was closeted with him for a
quarter-of-an-hour in the drawing-room. He had been into the City and
seen Sir Thomas. Sir Thomas had been of opinion that it would be much
better that Lady Tringle's wishes should be obeyed. It was quite true
that he himself had no complaint to make against Ayala, but he did
think that Ayala had been pert; and, though it might be true that
Ayala had not encouraged Tom, there was no knowing what might grow
out of such a propensity on Tom's part. And then it could not be
pleasant to Lady Tringle or to himself that their son should be
banished out of their house. When something was hinted as to the
injustice of this, Sir Thomas endeavoured to put all that right by
declaring that, if Lady Tringle's wishes could be attended to in
this matter, provision would be made for the two girls. He certainly
would not strike Ayala's name out of his will, and as certainly would
not take Lucy under his wing as his own child without making some
provision for her. Looking at the matter in this light he did not
think that Mr. Dosett would be justified in robbing Lucy of the
advantages which were offered to her. With this view Mr. Dosett found
himself compelled to agree, and with these arguments he declared to
Lucy that it was her duty to submit herself to the proposed exchange.

Early in February all the Tringle fam