n,
walked on in silence at her side, while 'Lena, repenting of her hasty
words, and desirous of making amends, exerted herself to be
agreeable; and by the time the breakfast-bell rang, Durward mentally
pronounced her "a perfect mystery," which he would take delight in
unraveling!

CHAPTER X.

MR. AND MRS. GRAHAM.

Breakfast had been some time over, when the roll of carriage wheels
and a loud ring at the door, announced the arrival of Mr. Graham,
who, true to his appointment with Durward, had come up to meet him,
accompanied by Mrs. Graham. This lady, who could boast of having
once been the bride of an English lord, to say nothing of belonging
to the "very first family of Virginia," was a sort of bugbear to Mrs.
Livingstone, who, haughty and overbearing to her equals, was
nevertheless cringing and cowardly in the presence of those whom she
considered her superiors. Never having seen Mrs. Graham, her ideas
concerning her were quite elevated, and now when she came
unexpectedly, it quite overcame her. Unfortunately, too, she was
this morning suffering from a nervous headache, the result of the
excitement and late hours of the night before, and on learning that
Mrs. Graham was in the parlor, she fell back in her rocking-chair,
and between a groan and a sigh, declared her utter inability to see
her at present, saying that Carrie must play the part of hostess
until such time as she felt composed enough to undertake it.

"Oh, I can't--I _shan't_--that ends it!" said Carrie, who, though a
good deal dressed on Durward's account, still felt anxious to give a
few more finishing touches to her toilet, and to see if her hair and
complexion were all right, ere she ventured into the august presence
ef her "mother-in-law elect," as she confidently considered Mrs.
Graham.

"Anna must go, then," persisted Mrs. Livingstone, who knew full well
how useless it would be to press Carrie farther. "Anna must
go--where is she? Call her, 'Lena."

But Anna was away over the fields, enjoying with Mr. Everett a walk
which had been planned the night previous, and when 'Lena returned
with the intelligence that she was nowhere to be found, her aunt in
great distress exclaimed, "Mercy me! what will Mrs. Graham think--and
Mr. Livingstone, too, keeps running back and forth for somebody to
entertain her. What shall I do! I can't go in looking so yellow and
jaded as I now do!"

'Lena's first thought was to bring her aunt's powderball,