_ Longueville,
was to be companion to his widow, and maintained by her, Lady Betty
Longueville, for the term of her natural life.

It did not seem to have struck Mr. Longueville that either Lady Betty or
Griselda might marry, and Griselda was thus left as one of the bits of
blue china or old plate, which, being not included in the entail, fell
to Lady Betty with the "household effects, goods and chattels."

Perhaps the feeling that she was a mere "chattel" weighed at times on
the tall and stately Griselda, whose grave eyes had ever a wistful
expression in them, as if they were looking out on some distant time,
where, behind the veil, the hopes and fears of youth, lay hidden.

Griselda was outwardly calm and even dignified in her manner. She moved
with a peculiar grace, and formed a marked contrast in all ways to the
little vivacious Lady Betty, whose grand ambition was to be thought
young, and who understood only too well how to cast swift glances from
behind her fan upon the gay beaux, who haunted the city of Bath at that
time. For although the palmiest days of the Pump Room, under the
dominion of Beau Nash, were now long past, still in 1779 Bath held her
own, and was frequented by hundreds for health, to be regained by means
of its healing waters, and by thousands for pleasure and amusement.

Amongst these thousands, Lady Betty Longueville was one of the foremost
in the race; and she spent her energies and her talents on "making a
sensation," and drawing to her net the most desirable of the idle beaux
who danced, and flirted, and led the gay and aimless life of men of
fashion.

Graves was presently interrupted by a tap at the door; and, putting down
the lace, she went to open it, and found the hairdresser and his
assistant waiting on the landing for admission.

The hairdresser made a low bow, and begged ten thousand pardons for
being late; but her ladyship must know that the ball to-night in
Wiltshire's Rooms was to be _the_ ball of the season, and that he and
his man had been dressing heads since early dawn.

"That is no news to me, Perkyns. Am I not one of the chief patronesses
of the ball? Have I not been besieged for cards? Tell me something more
like news than that."

The assistant having spread out a large array of bottles, and brushes,
and flasks on a side-table cleared for the purpose, Mr. Perkyns wasted
no more time in excuses; he began operations at once on the lady's head,
while Griselda was left t