t the ceiling, as if she could not make
out who Fanny was.

"Ah! mille pardons, madame. I recollect now, of course, of course--that
is your Christian name. I am quite confused by all the family names with
which Squire Karpathy's _director jurium_ has been filling my ears.
Really this Karpathy family has quite a frightful lot of connexions. The
female branch is united by marriage with all the most eminent families
in the realm. I verily believe there's not a name in the calendar that
it has not appropriated;" which meant, being interpreted, "_Your_ family
is not very likely to add fresh glory to the Karpathy family tree!"

But Flora only laughed good-naturedly, and said--

"Well, now, at any rate, Fanny is a very honourable name in the family
records."

Dame Marion, however, kept standing there in amazement, with her
long-handled parasol in her hand--like Diana might have looked if she
had shot one of her dogs instead of a hare. She could not understand
from whence these people derived so much good humour when she was so
bent upon aggravating them.

"And how long, may I ask, will--this--short--time--be?" she inquired of
Flora, with a biting, staccato sort of intonation, gazing vaguely into
vacancy.

"Oh, a mere bagatelle--only a week, aunty."

"Only a week!" exclaimed Dame Marion, in horror; "only a week!"

"If only I am not kicked out in the mean time," retorted Lady
Szentirmay, jocosely; whereupon Fanny immediately embraced her
affectionately, by way of signifying that she would like to keep her for
ever.

"Ah, indeed!" remarked Dame Marion, petulantly. "Well, well! young women
soon make friends with each other. I am so delighted you have got to
love each other so much all at once--that shows how much your natures
are alike, at which I am charmed. I hope, however, my dear niece, that
you will permit _me_ to return to Szentirma. I hope," continued she,
"that I leave my niece in safe custody, though. I do not know whether
Szentirmay is likely to trouble Karpathy Castle very much with his
jealousy. Adieu, my dear neighbour, chere voisine! Adieu, chere niece,
adieu!"

This ambiguous farewell was capable of a double interpretation, each
alternative of which was equally insulting, as it might be taken to
mean, either that no sane person had any reason whatever to be jealous
of old John Karpathy, or that Karpathy Castle had such a bad reputation
that no woman's good name was likely to be improved by a residence