s.

"Oh, Lettice, dear! aren't you happy? aren't you satisfied?" she cried
earnestly. "I have been afraid sometimes that you were not so fond of
Arthur as you should be. Do, do speak out, dear, if it is so, and put
an end to things while there is time!"

"An end! What do you mean? I am to be married in less than a month--
how could I put an end to it? Don't be foolish, Norah. Besides, I do
care for Arthur. I wish sometimes that he were a little younger and
less proper, but that is only because he is too clever and learned for a
stupid little thing like me. Don't talk like that again; it makes me
miserable. Wouldn't you like to have a house of your own and be able to
do whatever you liked? My little boudoir is so sweet, all blue and
white, and we will have such cosy times in it, you and I, and Edna must
come up and stay with me too. Oh, it will be lovely! I am sure it
will. I shall be quite happy. I am glad father insisted upon having
the wedding up here; it will be so much quieter than in a fashionable
London church with all the rabble at the doors. Dreadful to be stared
at by hundreds of people who don't know or care anything about you, and
only look at you as part of a show. Here all the people are interested
and care a little bit for `Miss Lettice.' If only Rex were to be here!
It seems hard that he should leave home just a fortnight before my
wedding."

Norah sighed and relapsed into silence, for it was all settled about
Rex's departure by this time. The Squire had given way, Mrs Freer and
Edna had wept themselves dry, and were now busily occupied in preparing
what Rex insisted upon describing as his "_trousseau_."

"I have one hundred and fifty `pieces' in my _trousseau_; how many have
you in yours?" he asked Lettice one day; and the girls were much
impressed at the extensiveness of his preparations, until it was
discovered that he counted each sock separately, and took a suit of
clothes as representing three of the aforesaid "pieces." Having once
given way, the Squire behaved in the most generous manner, and at his
suggestion, Rex was to travel overland to Brindisi, spending a month in
various places of interest on the Continent. In order to do this and
catch the appointed boat, it was necessary to leave Westmoreland at the
end of August. Ten days more, and then good-bye to Rex, good-bye to the
happy old day which could never come back again! Four days more, three
days, two days, one day-