nothing to show
like that for some time. But Dolly takes practical views. I saw her
smiling out of the windows, as we drove along, coming here yesterday;
and I asked her what she was thinking of? I expected to hear her say,
the beauty of the plantations, or the richness of the country, or the
elegance and variety of the equipages we passed. She answered me she
was thinking _what she should do with her life!_"

There was a general gentle note of amusement audible through the room,
but old Mr. St. Leger laughed out in a broad "ha, ha."

"What did you conclude, my dear?" said he. "What did you conclude? I am
interested to know."

"I could not conclude then, sir," said Dolly, bearing the laugh very
well, with a pretty little peach-blossom blush coming upon her cheeks.

"'Tisn't difficult to know," the old gentleman went on, not unkindly
watching Dolly's face play. "There is one pretty certain lot for a
pretty young woman. She will manage her household, take care of her
husband, and bring up her children,--one of these days."

"That is not precisely the ambition of all pretty young women,"
remarked one of the party; while Mrs. St. Leger good humouredly drew
Dolly down to a seat beside her and engrossed her attention.

"You meant the words perhaps in another sense, more practical, that
your father did not think of. You were thinking maybe what profession
you would follow?"

"I beg your pardon, ma'am!" said Dolly, quite perplexed now. "How do
you mean, profession?"

"Yes; perhaps you were thinking of being a governess some day, or a
teacher, or something of that sort; were you?"

Dolly's face dimpled all over in a way that seemed to young St. Leger
the very prettiest, winningest, most uncommon loveliness that his eyes
had ever been blessed with. Said eyes were inseparable from Dolly; he
had no attention but for her looks and words; and his mother knew as
much, while she too looked at the girl and waited for her answer.

"Oh no," Dolly said; "I was not thinking of any such thing. My father
does not wish me to do anything of the kind."

"Then what _did_ you mean, my dear?"

Dolly lifted a pair of sweet grave eyes to the face of her questioner;
a full, rather bloated face, very florid; with an expression of eyes
kindly indeed, but unresting, dissatisfied; or if that is too strong a
word, not content. Dolly looked at all this and answered--

"I don't want to live merely to live, ma'am."

"Don't you? What more do y