Mr Ball. He had told her to be firm,
and of her own firmness she had no doubt whatever. Lady Ball, with
all her anger, or with all her eloquence, should not talk her out of
her husband. She could be firm, and she had no doubt that John Ball
could be firm also.

Nevertheless, when she was dressing, she did not fail to tell herself
that she might have a bad time of it that morning,--and a bad time of
it for some days to come, if it was John's intention that she should
remain at the Cedars. She was convinced that Lady Ball would not
welcome her as a daughter-in-law now as she would have done when the
property was thought to belong to her. What right had she to expect
such welcome? No doubt some hard things would be said to her; but
she knew her own courage, and was sure that she could bear any hard
things with such a hope within her breast as that which she now
possessed. She left her room a little earlier than usual, thinking
that she might thus meet her cousin and receive his orders. And in
this she was not disappointed; he was in the hall as she came down,
and she was able to smile on him, and press his hand, and make her
morning greetings to him with some tenderness in her voice. He looked
heavy about the face, and almost more careworn than usual, but he
took her hand and led her into the breakfast-room.

"Did you tell your mother, John?" she said, standing very close to
him, almost leaning upon his shoulder.

He, however, did not probably want such signs of love as this, and
moved a step away from her.

"Yes," said he, "I told both my father and my mother. What she says
to you, you must hear, and bear it quietly for my sake."

"I will," said Margaret.

"I think that she is unreasonable, but still she is my mother."

"I shall always remember that, John."

"And she is old, and things have not always gone well with her. She
says, too, that you have been impertinent to her."

Margaret's face became very red at this charge, but she made no
immediate reply.

"I don't think you could mean to be impertinent."

"Certainly not, John; but, of course, I shall feel myself much more
bound to her now than I was before."

"Yes, of course; but I wish that nothing had occurred to make her so
angry with you."

"I don't think that I was impertinent, John, though perhaps it might
seem so. When she was talking about my being a companion to a lady,
I perhaps answered her sharply. I was so determined that I wouldn't
lead th