nation.'

It was with a curious sense of renunciation that Ethelberta went
homeward. Neigh was handsome, grim-natured, rather wicked, and an
indifferentist; and these attractions interested her as a woman. But the
news of this evening suggested to Ethelberta that herself and Neigh were
too nearly cattle of one colour for a confession on the matter of lineage
to be well received by him; and without confidence of every sort on the
nature of her situation, she was determined to contract no union at all.
The sympathy of unlikeness might lead the scion of some family, hollow
and fungous with antiquity, and as yet unmarked by a mesalliance, to be
won over by her story; but the antipathy of resemblance would be
ineradicable.

26. ETHELBERTA'S DRAWING-ROOM

While Ethelberta during the next few days was dismissing that evening
journey from her consideration, as an incident altogether foreign to the
organized course of her existence, the hidden fruit thereof was rounding
to maturity in a species unforeseen.

Inferences unassailable as processes, are, nevertheless, to be suspected,
from the almost certain deficiency of particulars on some side or other.
The truth in relation to Neigh's supposed frigidity was brought before
her at the end of the following week, when Dan and Sol had taken Picotee,
Cornelia, and the young children to Kew for the afternoon.

Early that morning, hours before it was necessary, there had been such a
chatter of preparation in the house as was seldom heard there. Sunday
hats and bonnets had been retrimmed with such cunning that it would have
taken a milliner's apprentice at least to discover that any thread in
them was not quite new. There was an anxious peep through the blind at
the sky at daybreak by Georgina and Myrtle, and the perplexity of these
rural children was great at the weather-signs of the town, where
atmospheric effects had nothing to do with clouds, and fair days and foul
came apparently quite by chance. Punctually at the hour appointed two
friendly human shadows descended across the kitchen window, followed by
Sol and Dan, much to the relief of the children's apprehensions that they
might forget the day.

The brothers were by this time acquiring something of the airs and
manners of London workmen; they were less spontaneous and more
comparative; less genial, but smarter; in obedience to the usual law by
which the emotion that takes the form of humour in country workmen
b