another, and defy anybody to come in between us. Kiss one another, my

dears, and be off; for I have much correspondence to attend to, besides

the great Nelson's, though I took him first, hoping for something

sensible. But I have not much to learn about Springhaven, even from his

lordship. However, he is a man in ten thousand, and we must not be vexed

about any of his crotchets, because he has never had children to talk

about; and he gets out of soundings when he talks about mine. I wish

Lady Scudamore was come back. She always agrees with me, and she takes a

great load off my shoulders."

The girls laughed at this, as they were meant to do. And they

hurried off together, to compare opinions. After all these years of

independence, no one should be set up over them. Upon that point Faith

was quite as resolute as Dolly; and her ladyship would have refused to

come back, if she had overheard their council. For even in the loftiest

feminine nature lurks a small tincture of jealousy.

But Dolly was now in an evil frame of mind about many things which she

could not explain even to herself, with any satisfaction. Even that

harmless and pleasant letter from her great godfather went amiss with

her; and instead of laughing at the words about herself, as with a sound

conscience she must have done, she brooded over them, and turned them

bitter. No man could have mixed up things as she did, but her mind was

nimble. For the moment, she hated patriotism, because Nelson represented

it; and feeling how wrong he had been about herself, she felt that he

was wrong in everything. The French were fine fellows, and had quite as

<<BackPagesTo menuNext>>