ys
tended to produce from him a reiteration of those invitations, which
Mrs. Mountjoy had taken as an expression of brotherly love. Her own
income was always sufficient for her wants, and the hundred and fifty
pounds coming from Sir Magnus had not troubled her much. "Well, my dear,
if it must be it must;--only what I'm to do with her I do not know."

"Take her about in the carriage," said Sir Magnus, who was beginning to
be a little angry with this interference.

"And the daughter? Daughters are twice more troublesome than their
mothers."

"Pass her over to Miss Abbott. And for goodness' sake don't make so much
trouble about things which need not be troublesome." Then Sir Magnus
left his wife to ring for her chambermaid and go on with her painting,
while he himself undertook the unwonted task of writing an affectionate
letter to his sister-in-law. It should be here explained that Sir Magnus
had no children of his own, and that Miss Abbott was the lady who was
bound to smile and say pretty things on all occasions to Lady Mountjoy
for the moderate remuneration of two hundred a year and her maintenance.

The letter which Sir Magnus wrote was as follows:

MY DEAR SARAH,--Lady Mountjoy bids me say that we shall
be delighted to receive you and my niece at the British
Ministry on the 1st of October, and hope that you will
stay with us till the end of the month.--Believe me, most
affectionately yours, MAGNUS MOUNTJOY.

"I have a most kind letter from Sir Magnus," said Mrs. Mountjoy to her
daughter.

"What does he say?"

"That he will be delighted to receive us on the 1st of October. I did
say that we should be ready to start in about a week's time, because I
know that he gets home from his autumn holiday by the middle of
September. But I have no doubt he has his house full till the time he
has named."

"Do you know her, mamma?" asked Florence.

"I did see her once; but I cannot say that I know her. She used to be a
very handsome woman, and looks to be quite good-natured; but Sir Magnus
has always lived abroad, and except when he came home about your poor
father's death I have seen very little of him."

"I never saw him but that once," said Florence.

And so it was settled that she and her mother were to spend a month at
Brussels.

CHAPTER XI.

MONTE CARLO.

Toward the end of September, while the weather was so hot as to keep
away from the south of France all but very