. She thought well of all the
persons concerned, and was very anxious to behave well by all of
them;--was particularly anxious to create no ill feeling, and
wished that everybody should be comfortable, and on good terms with
everybody else. But yet the truth was forced out of her when this
question was asked so suddenly. "Not to lecture you, Lucy," she said
at last.

"Well, to preach to me, or to talk to me, or to give me a lesson;
to say something that shall drive me to put my back up against Lord
Lufton?"

"To caution you, dearest. Had you heard what she said, you would
hardly have felt angry with Lady Lufton."

"Well, to caution me. It is such a pleasant thing for a girl to be
cautioned against falling in love with a gentleman, especially when
the gentleman is very rich, and a lord, and all that sort of thing!"

"Nobody for a moment attributes anything wrong to you, Lucy."

"Anything wrong--no. I don't know whether it would be anything wrong,
even if I were to fall in love with him. I wonder whether they
cautioned Griselda Grantly when she was here? I suppose when young
lords go about, all the girls are cautioned as a matter of course.
Why do they not label him 'dangerous'?" And then again they were
silent for a moment, as Mrs. Robarts did not feel that she had
anything further to say on the matter.

"'Poison' should be the word with any one so fatal as Lord Lufton;
and he ought to be made up of some particular colour, for fear he
should be swallowed in mistake."

"You will be safe, you see," said Fanny, laughing, "as you have been
specially cautioned as to this individual bottle."

"Ah! but what's the use of that after I have had so many doses? It is
no good telling me about it now; when the mischief is done,--after I
have been taking it for I don't know how long. Dear! dear! dear! and
I regarded it as a mere commonplace powder, good for the complexion.
I wonder whether it's too late, or whether there's any antidote?"
Mrs. Robarts did not always quite understand her sister-in-law, and
now she was a little at a loss. "I don't think there's much harm done
yet on either side," she said, cheerily.

"Ah! you don't know, Fanny. But I do think that if I die--as I
shall--I feel I shall;--and if so, I do think it ought to go very
hard with Lady Lufton. Why didn't she label him 'dangerous' in time?"
And then they went into the house and up to their own rooms. It was
difficult for any one to understand Lucy's state