kind," said Lady Lufton. Then, when Mrs
Robarts returned to the room, her ladyship explained it all in two
words. "Whilst you have been away, my dear, Grace has begged off, and
therefore we have decided that Mr. Oriel and Mr. Robarts shall come
without you."

"I am so sorry, Mrs. Robarts," said Grace.

"Pooh, pooh," said Lady Lufton. "Fanny and I have known each other
quite long enough not to stand on any compliments,--haven't we, my
dear? I must get home now, as all the morning has gone by. Fanny,
my dear, I want to speak to you." Then she expressed her opinion of
Grace Crawley as she walked across the parsonage garden with Mrs
Robarts. "She is a very nice girl, and a very good girl I am sure;
and she shows excellent feeling. Whatever happens we must take care
of her. And, Fanny, have you observed how handsome she is?"

"We think her very pretty."

"She is more than pretty when she has a little fire in her eyes. She
is downright handsome,--or will be when she fills out a little. I
tell you what, my dear; she'll make havoc with somebody yet; you
see if she doesn't. By-by. Tell the two gentlemen to be up by seven
punctually." And then Lady Lufton went home.

Grace so contrived that Mr. Oriel came and went without seeing
her. There was a separate nursery breakfast at the parsonage,
and by special permission Grace was allowed to have her tea and
bread-and-butter on the next morning with the children. "I thought
you told me Miss Crawley was here," said Mr. Oriel, as the two
clergymen stood waiting for the gig that was to take the visitor away
to Barchester.

"So she is," said Robarts; "but she likes to hide herself, because of
her father's trouble. You can't blame her."

"No, indeed," said Mr. Oriel.

"Poor girl. If you knew her you would not only pity her, but like
her."

"Is she--what you call--?"

"You mean, is she a lady?"

"Of course she is by birth, and all that," said Mr. Oriel, apologising
for his inquiry.

"I don't think there is another girl in the county so well educated,"
said Mr. Robarts.

"Indeed! I had no idea of that."

"And we think her a great beauty. As for manners, I never saw a girl
with a prettier way of her own."

"Dear me," said Mr. Oriel. "I wish she had come down to breakfast."

It will have been perceived that old Lady Lufton had heard nothing
of Major Grantly's offence; that she had no knowledge that Grace had
already made havoc, as she had called it,--had, in truth, made v