minable; and when
they did catch a glimpse of fields and woods, it seemed hard to have
so soon to turn back and lose sight of them again.

On her return from one of these drives, which had been protracted till
dusk, she was told that she had been inquired for by a girl very
poorly dressed, "almost like a beggar." She was puzzled at first, but
almost immediately it flashed across her that it must be Nelly Connor.
She had often thought of her since she had come to the city, but could
not find her, owing to Bessie's omission to give her mistress's
address,--an omission which Bessie, not being a good correspondent,
and naturally supposing that Nelly would soon find her way to Lucy,
had not yet remedied. "Oh, I wish I had seen her!" exclaimed Lucy,
much to the surprise both of the servants and her cousins, who could
not understand how a girl of that description should come to be so
interesting to her as to cause so much disappointment at having missed
her, and at having no clue to her place of abode.

"I hope she will soon come again," was the reflection with which Lucy
consoled herself; and Stella explained to Sophy and Edwin: "It's a
little Irish _protegee_ of hers that she was crazy about at Ashleigh,
and she used to lecture me because I didn't think as much of her as
she did." Lucy laughed and tried to explain, but stopped, seeing that
her cousins took very little interest in the matter.

Lucy did not come much in contact with her uncle and aunt. The former
was much absorbed in business, and though a kind and indulgent parent,
especially to his favourite Stella, he interfered but little in home
matters. Mrs. Brooke, who had always been a rather negative character,
had long given up to her elder daughters any sway she had ever held,
and was almost entirely guided by their judgment, of which they
naturally took advantage to indulge to the utmost their own love of
gaiety. Balls and parties in winter, and in summer gay picnics and
driving parties without end, engrossed their time and thoughts, to the
exclusion of higher objects of interest. Ada was fond of embroidery,
and would betake herself to it when nothing better was going on; and
Sophy was sometimes persuaded to paint for a fancy sale one of the
illuminations, in doing which she evinced great talent. They were
generally quotations from the poets which she selected; and as Lucy
watched the taste with which Sophy blended and contrasted the rich
colouring, she would lo