the
carriage.

'Granting reasonable wishes is not spoiling,' said Ethel.

'May the system succeed as well with Dickie as with--' and Aubrey in
one flourish indicated Gertrude and himself.

'Ay, we shall judge by the reception of Ethel's tidings!' cried
Gertrude. 'Now for it, Ethel. Read us Tom's letter, confute the
engineer, hoist with his own petard.'

'Now, Ethel, confute the Daisy, the green field daisy--the simple
innocent daisy, deluded by "Diseases of Climate."'

'Ethel looks as concerned as if it were fatal truth,' added Gertrude.

'What is it?' asked Aubrey. 'If Henry Ward has gone down in a monitor
at Charleston, I'll forgive him.'

'Not that,' said Ethel; 'but we little thought how ill poor Ave is.'

'Dangerously?' said Aubrey, gravely.

'Not perhaps immediately so; but Tom means to marry at once, that he
may have a chance of bringing her home to see Leonard.'

'Another shock for Leonard,' said Aubrey, quite subdued, 'why can't he
have a little respite?'

'May they at least meet once more!' said Ethel; 'there will be some
comfort in looking to that!'

'And what a fellow Tom is to have thought of it,' added Aubrey. 'Nobody
will ever dare to say again that he is not the best of the kit of us!
I must be off now to the meet: but if you are writing, Ethel, I wish
you would give her my love, or whatever he would like, and tell him he
is a credit to the family. I say, may I tell George Rivers?'

'Oh yes; it will soon be in the air; and Charles Cheviot will be down
on us!'

Away went Aubrey to mount the hunter that George Rivers placed at his
service.

Gertrude, who had been struck dumb, looked up to ask, 'Then it is
really so?'

'Indeed it is.'

'Then,' cried Gertrude, vehemently, 'you and he have been deceiving us
all this time!'

'No, Gertrude, there was nothing to tell. I did not really know, and I
could not gossip about him.'

'You might have hinted.'

'I tried, but I was clumsy.'

'I hate hints!' exclaimed the impetuous young lady; 'one can't
understand them, and gets the credit of neglecting them. If people
have a secret attachment, they ought to let all their family know!'

'Perhaps they do in Ireland.'

'You don't feel one grain for me, Ethel,' said Gertrude, with tears in
her eyes. 'Only think how Tom led me on to say horrid things about the
Wards; and now to recollect them, when she is so ill too--and he--' She
burst into sobs.

'My poor Daisy! I dare say it was hal