for her father always emerged from them
doubly irritable and dispirited; and when Rosita claimed the Senor
Robson as her knight for her evening promenade, and the father and
daughter were left alone together, he would blame the one lady for
going, the other for staying--then draw out his papers again, and
attempt to go over them, with a head already aching and confused--be
angry at Mary's entreaties that he would lay them aside, or allow her
to help him--and presently be obliged with a sigh to desist, and lie
back in his chair, while she fanned him, or cooled his forehead with
iced water. Yet he was always eager and excited for Robson to come;
and a delay of a day would put his temper in such a state that his wife
kept out of his sight, leaving Mary to soothe him as she might.

'Mary,' said her father one evening, when she was standing at the
window of the corridor, refreshing her eye with gazing at the glorious
sunset in the midst of a pile of crimson and purple clouds, reflected
in the ocean--'Mary, Ward is going to Mew York next week.'

'So soon?' said Mary.

'Aye, and he is coming here to-morrow to see you.'

Mary still looked out with a sort of interest to see a little gold
flake change its form as it traversed a grand violet tower.

'I hope you will make him a more reasonable answer than you did last
time,' said her father; 'it is too bad to keep the poor man dangling on
at this rate! And such a man!'

'I am very sorry for it, but I cannot help it,' said Mary; 'no one can
be kinder or more forbearing than he has been, but I wish he would look
elsewhere.'

'So you have not got that nonsense out of your head!' exclaimed Mr.
Ponsonby, with muttered words that Mary would not hear. 'All my fault
for ever sending you among that crew! Coming between you and the best
match in Lima--the best fellow in the world--strict enough to content
Melicent or your mother either! What have you to say against him,
Mary? I desire to know that.'

'Nothing, papa,' said Mary, 'except that I wish he could make a better
choice.'

'I tell you, you and he were made for each other. It is the most
provoking thing in the world, that you will go on in this obstinate
way! I can't even ask the man to do me a kindness, with having an eye
to these abominable affairs, that are all going to the dogs. There's
old Dynevor left his senses behind him when he went off to play the
great man in England, writing every post for remittances, w