ladin is necessary to me."

"Then don't, Basil. I can tell you, people will say you are extravagant
if you have two horses."

"I cannot help people talking scandal."

"No; but it will hurt your influence."

"Well, we will feel the pulse of the public to-morrow. But I think they
would stand it."

They drove down to Mrs. Starling's the next day. Mr. Masters had other
business, and must go farther. Diana went in alone. She was early, for
she had come to help her mother make the preparations; and at first
these engrossed them both.

"Well," said Mrs. Starling, when some time had passed,--"how do you get
along with your husband?"

Diana's eyes opened slightly. "It would be a very strange person that
could not get on with Mr. Masters," she answered.

"Easy, is he? I hate easy men! The best of 'em are helpless enough; but
when you get one of the easy soft, they are consented if every door
hangs on one hinge."

Diana made no answer.

"How does your girl get along?"

"Very well. Pretty well."

"What you want with a girl, I don't see."

"I didn't either. But Mr. Masters wants me to do other things."

"Set you up to be a lady! Well, the world's full o' fools."

"I am as busy, mother, as ever I was in my life."

"Depends on what you call business. Making yourself unfit for business,
I should say. Call it what you like. I suppose he is your humble
servant, and just gives you your own way."

"He is not that sort of man at all, mother. He is as kind as he can be;
but he is nobody's humble servant."

"Then I suppose you are his. There is somebody now, Diana; it's Kate
Boddington. Do go in and take care of her,--you can do so much,--and
keep her from coming out here where I am."

"Well, Di!" exclaimed her relative as Diana met her. "Ain't it a sight
to see _you_ at the sewin' meetin'! Why haven't you been before? Seems
to me, you make an uncommon long honeymoon of it."

Diana's natural sweetness and dignity, and furthermore, the great
ballast of old pain and new gladness which lay deep down in her heart,
kept her quite steady and unruffled under all such breezes. She had
many of the like to meet that day; and the sweet calm and poise of her
manner through them all would have done honour to the most practised
woman of the world. Most of her friends and neighbours here collected
had scarce seen her since her marriage, unless in church; and they were
curious to know how she would carry herself, and curious in gene