as first broken by the jangle of their own little church
bell, for Mr. Arden was a more than usually diligent minister, and
always gave two services when he was not in course at the cathedral. The
young ladies always attended both, but as Harriet and Aurelia crossed
the lawn, their brother ran to meet them, saying, "We are not to wait
for sister."

"I hope my papa is well," said Aurelia.

"Oh yes," said Eugene, "but the man in the gold-laced hat has been
speaking with him. Palmer says it is Mrs. Dove's husband, and he is
going to take Lively Tom and Brown Bet and the two other colts to
London. He asked if I should like to ride a-cockhorse there with him.
'Dearly,' I said, and then he laughed and said it was not my turn, but
he should take Miss Aurelia instead."

Aurelia laughed, and Harriet said, "Extremely impudent."

Little she guessed what Betty was at that moment reading.

"I am astonished," wrote Lady Belamour to her cousin, "that you should
decline so highly advantageous an Offer for your Daughter. I can only
understand it as a Token that you desire no further Connection with,
nor Favour from me; and I shall therefore require of you to give up the
Accounts, and vacate the House by Michaelmas next ensuing. However, as I
am willing to allow some excuse for the Weakness of parental Affection,
if you change your Mind within the next Week and send up your Daughter
with Dove and his Wife, I will overlook your first hasty and foolish
Refusal, ungrateful as it was, and will receive your Daughter and give
her all the Advantages I promised. Otherwise your Employment is at
an end, and you had better prepare your Accounts for Hargrave's
Inspection."

"There is no help for it then," said Betty.

"And if it be for the child's advantage, we need not make our moan,"
said her father. "'Tis like losing the daylight out of our house, but we
must not stand in the way of her good."

"If I were only sure it is for her good!"

"Why, child, there's scarce a wench in the county who would not go down
on her knees for such a chance. See what Madam Duckworth would say to it
for Miss Peggy!"

Betty said no more. The result of her cogitations had been that since
Aurelia must be yielded for the sake of her father and Eugene, it was
better not to disturb him with fears, which would only anger him at the
moment and disquiet him afterwards. She was likewise reassured by Mrs.
Dove's going with her, since that good woman had been nurse t