saucy creature," said Miss Crewys. "The last time I saw
her she made one of her senseless jokes at me."

"She has no tact," said Lady Belstone, shaking her head; "for when
Peter saw you were annoyed, and tried to pass it off by telling her
the Crewys family had no sense of humour, instead of saying, 'What
nonsense!' she said, 'What a pity!'"

"Her mother was full of a letter from Lady Tintern about some grand
lord or other, who wanted to marry Sarah. I did my best to make her
understand how very unlikely it was that any man, noble or otherwise,
would care to marry a girl with carroty hair."

"I doubt if you succeeded in convincing her, Georgina, though you
spoke pretty plain, and I am very far from blaming you for it. But she
is ate up with pride, poor thing, because Sarah gets noticed by
Lady Tintern's friends, who would naturally wish to gratify her by
flattering her niece."

"I am afraid the girl is setting her cap at Peter," said Miss Crewys;
"but I took care to let her mother know, casually, what our family
would think of such a marriage for him."

"Peter is a boy," said Lady Mary, quickly; "and Sarah, for all
practical purposes, is ten years older than he. She is only amusing
herself. Lady Tintern is much more ambitious for her than I am for
Peter."

"How you talk, Mary!" said Miss Crewys, indignantly. "She is hardly
twenty years of age, and the most designing monkey that ever lived.
And Peter is a fine young man. A boy, indeed! I hope if she succeeds
in catching him that you will remember I warned you."

"I will remember, if anything so fortunate should occur," said Lady
Mary, with a faint smile. "I cannot think of any girl in the world
whom I would prefer to Sarah as a daughter."

"I, for one, should walk out of this house the day that girl entered
it as mistress, let Peter say what he would to prevent me," said Lady
Belstone, reddening with indignation.

"I wonder where you would go to?" said Lady Mary, with some curiosity.
"Of course," she added, hastily, "there is the Dower House."

"I am sure it is very generous of you to suggest the Dower House, dear
Mary," said Miss Crewys, softening, "since our poor brother, in his
unaccountable will, left it entirely to you, and made no mention of
his elder sisters; though we do not complain."

"It is in accordance with custom that the widow should have the Dower
House. A widow's rights should be respected; but I thought our names
would be mentioned," said