residence; and an invitation
for tea had been sent for a certain Tuesday in July,--Tuesday, July
the 18th. Mrs. Brownlow had of course been informed of the arrival
of Mary Bonner,--who was in truth as nearly related to her as the
Underwood girls,--and the invitation was given with the express
intention of doing honour to Mary. By the young ladies from Popham
Villa the invitation was accepted as a matter of course.

"Will he be there?" Clary said to her sister.

"I hope not, Clarissa."

"Why do you hope not? We are not to quarrel; are we, Patty?"

"No;--we need not quarrel. But I am afraid of him. He is not good
enough, Clary, for you to be unhappy about him. And I fear,--I fear,
he is--"

"Is what, Patty? Do speak it out. There is nothing I hate so much as
a mystery."

"I fear he is not genuine;--what people call honest. He would say
things without quite meaning what he says."

"I don't think it. I am sure he is not like that. I may have been a
fool--" Then she stopped herself, remembering the whole scene on the
lawn. Alas;--there had been no misunderstanding him. The crime had
been forgiven; but the crime had been a great fact. Since that she
had seen him only once, and then he had been so cold! But yet as he
left her he had not been quite cold. Surely that pressure of her hand
had meant something;--had meant something after that great crime! But
why did he not come to her; or why,--which would have been so far,
far better,--did he not go to her papa and tell everything to him?
Now, however, there was the chance that she would see him at Bolsover
House. That Mrs. Brownlow would ask him was quite a matter of course.

The great event of the evening was to be the introduction of Mrs.
Brownlow to the new cousin. They were to drink tea out in the
old-fashioned garden behind the house, from which Mrs. Brownlow could
retreat into her own room at the first touch of a breath of air. The
day was one of which the world at large would declare that there was
no breath of air, morning, noon, or night. There was to be quite a
party. That was evident from the first to our young ladies, who knew
the ways of the house, and who saw that the maids were very smart,
and that an extra young woman had been brought in; but they were the
first to come,--as was proper.

"My dear Mary," said the old woman to her new guest, "I am glad to
see you. I knew your mother and loved her well. I hope you will be
happy, my dear." Mrs. Brownlow w