this well-ascertained state of things, he had not
hesitated to declare his love for Miss Thorne before his sister
Augusta. But his sister Augusta had now, as it were, been received
into the upper house; having duly received, and duly profited by the
lessons of her great instructress, she was now admitted to sit in
conclave with the higher powers: her sympathies, of course, became
changed, and her confidence was removed from the young and giddy
and given to the ancient and discreet. She was as a schoolboy, who,
having finished his schooling, and being fairly forced by necessity
into the stern bread-earning world, undertakes the new duties of
tutoring. Yesterday he was taught, and fought, of course, against the
schoolmaster; to-day he teaches, and fights as keenly for him. So
it was with Augusta Gresham, when, with careful brow, she whispered
to her mother that there was something wrong between Frank and Mary
Thorne.

"Stop it at once, Arabella: stop it at once," the countess had said;
"that, indeed, will be ruin. If he does not marry money, he is lost.
Good heavens! the doctor's niece! A girl that nobody knows where she
comes from!"

"He's going with you to-morrow, you know," said the anxious mother.

"Yes; and that is so far well: if he will be led by me, the evil
may be remedied before he returns; but it is very, very hard to
lead young men. Arabella, you must forbid that girl to come to
Greshamsbury again on any pretext whatever. The evil must be stopped
at once."

"But she is here so much as a matter of course."

"Then she must be here as a matter of course no more: there has been
folly, very great folly, in having her here. Of course she would turn
out to be a designing creature with such temptation before her; with
such a prize within her reach, how could she help it?"

"I must say, aunt, she answered him very properly," said Augusta.

"Nonsense," said the countess; "before you, of course she did.
Arabella, the matter must not be left to the girl's propriety. I
never knew the propriety of a girl of that sort to be fit to be
depended upon yet. If you wish to save the whole family from ruin,
you must take steps to keep her away from Greshamsbury now at once.
Now is the time; now that Frank is to be away. Where so much, so very
much depends on a young man's marrying money, not one day ought to be
lost."

Instigated in this manner, Lady Arabella resolved to open her mind
to the doctor, and to make it intelli