hospital; but she had thought that she might abstain from doing so
till he himself should ask some question as to her plans. He had
asked no such question, and she was now almost determined to go
away without troubling him on the subject. But if he, who had once
professed to love her, would make no suggestion as to her future
life, she could ill bear that any offer of the kind should come from
her aunt, who, as she knew, had only regarded her for her money.

"I would rather," she replied, "that nothing should be said to him on
the subject."

"And why not, Margaret?"

"I desire that I may be no burden to him or anybody. I will go away
and earn my bread; and even if I cannot do that, my relations shall
not be troubled by hearing from me."

She said this without sobbing, but not without that almost hysterical
emotion which indicates that tears are being suppressed with pain.

"That is false pride, my dear."

"Very well, aunt. I daresay it is false; but it is my pride. I may be
allowed to keep my pride, though I can keep nothing else."

"What you say about earning your bread is very proper; and I and John
and your uncle also have been thinking of that. But I should be glad
if some additional assistance should be provided for you, in the
event of old age, you know, or illness. Now, as to earning your
bread, I remarked to John that you were peculiarly qualified for
being a lady's companion."

"For being what, aunt?"

"For being companion to some lady in the decline of life, who would
want to have some nice mannered person always with her. You have the
advantage of being ladylike and gentle, and I think that you are
patient by disposition."

"Aunt," said Miss Mackenzie, and her voice as she spoke was hardly
gentle, nor was it indicative of much patience. Her hysterics also
seemed for the time to have given way to her strong passionate
feeling. "Aunt," she said, "I would sooner take a broom in my hand,
and sweep a crossing in London, than lead such a life as that. What!
make myself the slave of some old woman, who would think that she had
bought the power of tyrannising over me by allowing me to sit in the
same room with her? No, indeed! It may very likely be the case that I
may have to serve such a one in the kitchen, but it shall be in the
kitchen, and not in the drawing-room. I have not had much experience
in life, but I have had enough to learn that lesson!"

Lady Ball, who during the first part of the conver