ll-absorbing drains upon wealth which in this country make so many
rich men poor. She had no family property,--no place to keep up in
which she did not live. She had no retainers to be maintained because
they were retainers. She had neither sons nor daughters. Consequently
she was able to be lavish in her generosity; and as her heart was
very lavish, she would have given her friends gold to eat had
gold been good for eating. Indeed there was no measure in her
giving,--unless when the idea came upon her that the recipient of
her favours was trading on them. Then she could hold her hand very
stoutly.

Lily Dale had not liked the idea of being fitted out thus
expensively. A box at the opera was all very well, as it was not
procured especially for her. And tickets for other theatres did not
seem to come unnaturally for a night or two. But her spirit had
militated against the hat and the habit and the horse. The whip was a
little present from Emily Dunstable, and that of course was accepted
with a good grace. Then there came the horse,--as though from the
heavens; there seemed to be ten horses, twenty horses, if anybody
needed them. All these things seemed to flow naturally into Mrs
Thorne's establishment, like air through the windows. It was very
pleasant, but Lily hesitated when she was told that a habit was to
be given to her. "My dear old aunt insists," said Emily Dunstable.
"Nobody ever thinks of refusing anything from her. If you only knew
what some people will take, and some people will even ask, who have
nothing to do with her at all!" "But I have nothing to do with
her,--in that way I mean," said Lily. "Oh, yes, you have," said
Emily. "You and Bernard are as good as brother and sister, and
Bernard and I are as good as man and wife, and my aunt and I are as
good as mother and daughter. So you see, in a sort of a way you are
a child of the house." So Lily accepted the habit; but made a stand
at the hat, and paid for that out of her own pocket. When the squire
had seen Lily on horseback he asked her questions about it. "It
was a hired horse, I suppose?" he said. "I think it came direct
from heaven," said Lily. "What do you mean, Lily?" said the squire
angrily. "I mean that when people are so rich and good-natured as Mrs
Thorne it is no good inquiring where things come from. All that I
know is that the horses come out of Potts' livery-stable. They talk
of Potts as if he were a good-natured man who provides horses for t