'well, dr. cruden,' said mrs. brimble, 'what is your opinion of the improvements going on at the dew? mr. brimble will not take us till all is complete.'

'the place will be charming, and so transformed that poor marjory will not know it. sir eustace has an excellent taste, has he not, squire?'

'he's excellent every way, except that he has a sort of saunders look sometimes, mary thinks.'

'we are none of us infallible, mr. brimble; and, so exposed to mistakes as we have been by your imprudence, it was necessary i should be cautious.'

'quite,' said the squire, who was watching with his eyeglass through a side window something that attracted him, and he immediately left the room.

'i think eustace will be a valuable person in that position, doctor,' continued the lady, looking up from her work-frame, on which she was embroidering the arms of de la mark for a chair for her nephew.

'i feel sure of it,' said the doctor.

'we shall miss him very much when he settles at the dew. i hope he will marry well.'

'i don't know any one better able to choose a good wife, madam, and he is worthy of the best; therefore his marriage will doubtless give satisfaction.'

'i daresay, like all young men in his position, he has been married to more young ladies than one by the country gossips.'

'not unlikely,' said the doctor.

'i have not heard any reports,' said mrs. brimble; 'but of course people would be delicate in speaking to me.'

'oh yes, very properly so,' said the doctor, not in the least divining the lady's tactics.

'i suppose,' said mrs. brimble carelessly, looking very intently on some shades of wool, as if her whole heart were fixed upon making a right choice, 'you have never heard anything hinted, doctor?'

'i cannot say i have not. my sister, in her numerous visits, falls in with such reports, and she has told me of several; but i think none likely, though, indeed, one lady that i am not at liberty to name would shine in married life.'

mrs. brimble got quite out of sorts with her wools, and had to tumble her basket over for some time before she was calm enough to ask the doctor for the lady's name, which of course she did not wish to know from idle curiosity, but out of pure disinterested affection for her dear nephew.

'i hope i am not doing wrong,' said the doctor, 'in mentioning the honourable amelia groves.'

'oh, you need not fear my mentioning it,' said mrs. brimble quickly; 'but that will never come to anything. i know the kind of girl he ought to marry—some one with spirit, lively and amusing, and if i know anything of eustace, his choice is nearly made, if not quite.'

'oh,' said the doctor, 'i am sure you ought to tell me.'

'if you have not had a guess that way yourself, doctor, i would rather not.'

the doctor looked up at the ceiling, crossed and uncrossed his legs, leant his head upon his hand, rubbed his forehead, and went through all the various manoeuvres which imply deep thought, finishing the process by guessing one of the miss punters.

'i am a bad hand at guessing,' he said, finding that miss punter was not well received. 'at one time i thought it not unlikely that poor little marjory would be his choice, but i think now he never felt anything for her but deep pity; and as to her, poor girl, her heart is buried with her father, whom i fear she will shortly follow.'

'i thought people never died of grief, doctor.'

'grief is a strong consumer, madam; but marjory inherits from her mother that terrible disease that laid her in an untimely grave.'

the squire, re-entering, turned the conversation. 'eu tells me that he must return to-night, and that you go with him, and he wants me to go too; he says he has capital quarters there, so i think of sending one of the fellows on with some dogs—eh, mary? only for a day or so, you know.'

flora came into the room just in time to hear the announcement, and protested loudly against it, denouncing her cousin eu in no very measured terms for his unreasonable proposal.

'you little vixen!' said the squire; 'isn't it enough for your mother to sit there harrowing my heart with her looks, but i must stand your tongue too? how would it be if we all went?'

'oh, lovely!' said flora; 'how i should like it!'

'highly incorrect,' said mrs. brimble.

'my dear mary, if you would be so very correct, you must abide by being uncomfortable. let us share the honours; you shall be correct, and flo and i will be comfortable. flo, we'll go—we'll have rooms at the de la mark arms, and we can rough it there for a night.'

the horror of mrs. brimble at such a proposal was too much for the squire, and, taking the doctor's arm, with a mischievous laugh he left the room.

'i'm sure papa has got something in his head,' said flora; 'see how he's talking, too, in the garden with dr. cruden; he is so delighted! what can it be?'

while flora and her mother were watching and wondering, charity was learning the secret that so perplexed them. she had been reading to marjory, and a gentle tap at the door introduced, to her great surprise, her cousin eustace. he so strongly recalled marjory's most painful feelings that it was sometimes beyond her strength to be long in his society. to-day she felt weaker than usual, and left the room soon after he entered it.

an awkward silence ensued, then a few remarks as to her state. at length eustace, breaking through the restraint, said, 'cousin charity, i fear i have driven marjory away, and yet i cannot regret it; indeed, my purpose was to see you; yes, and to see you alone—a privilege i have sometimes thought you studiously avoided giving me. i wanted to ask you one question. is the kind feeling with which you regarded me when i was poor jobson quite gone?'

charity was silent; but a glance at her satisfied eustace that he had nothing to fear.

about half an hour afterwards eustace joined his uncle, telling him that he had received charity's consent, for which he had asked permission to plead, and that there was now no necessity to punish him with a secret.

the squire shook him warmly by the hand, and lost no time in taking advantage of his liberty.