re the princes turn
up."

"You will not be serious!" sighed Mrs. Copley.

"Serious? I am nothing but serious. The regular suitor, proposed by the
parents, has offered himself and been rejected; and now there is
nothing to do but to wait for the fairy prince."

Poor Mrs. Copley gave it up. Her husband's words were always too quick
for her.

Brierley was afterwards discussed between her and Dolly. The proposal
was welcome to neither of them. Yet London would not do for Mrs.
Copley; she grew impatient of it more and more. And so, within a week
after their arrival, they left it and went down again to their old home
in the country. It felt like going to prison, Mrs. Copley said. Though
the country was still full of summer's wealth and beauty; and it was
impossible not to feel the momentary delight of the change from London.
The little garden was crowded with flowers, the fields all around rich
in grass and grain; the great trees of the park standing in their
unchanged regal beauty; the air sweet as air could be, without orange
blossoms. And yet it seemed to the two ladies, when Mr. Copley left
them again after taking them down to the cottage, that they were shut
off and shut up in a respectable and very eligible prison, from whence
escape was doubtful.

CHAPTER XXX.

DOWN HILL.

To do Mr. Copley justice, he left the prison very well provided and
furnished. The store closet and pantry were stocked; the house put in
tolerable order, and two maids were taken down. The old gardener had
disappeared, but Dolly declared she would keep the flowers in order
herself. So for a number of weeks things really went not ill with them
at Brierley. Dolly did keep the flowers in order, and she did a great
many other things; the chief of which, however, was attending to her
mother. How exquisitely she did this it would take a great deal of
detail to tell. It was shown, or felt rather, for a great part, in very
small particulars. Not only in taking care of her mother's wardrobe and
toilette, like the most skilled of waiting-maids; not only in ordering
and providing her meals like the most dainty of housekeepers; not only
in tireless reading aloud of papers and books, whatever could be got to
interest Mrs. Copley; these were part, but besides these there were a
thousand little touches a day given to Mrs. Copley's comfort, that even
herself hardly took any note of. Dolly's countenance never was seen to
fall in her mother's presence,