buy me a husband.'

"Now, by way of digression, I'm a great talker, Mrs. Lyndsay, and love
to ramble from one subject to another. Do just tell me, why a _snub_
nose should be reckoned vulgar, and red hair disgraceful?"

This was an awkward question. It was, however, put point blank. Flora
could not avoid giving something in the shape of an answer.

"It is impossible to account for these things," she said. "Any deviation
from a recognised standard of taste and beauty is always open to
objections. But there are a great many modifications of these rules.
Elegance of form, grace of manner, charms of expression, and even
sweetness of voice, will render plain persons not only agreeable, but
highly so."

"You reconcile me to my snub nose and red hair," said the odd woman.
"But few people possess a nice sense of discrimination; they are quick
at finding out defects, slow at discovering graces. The world is full of
unjust partialities. My snub nose would have been considered a beauty in
Africa. My red hair would have been admired in Italy; but there is no
struggling against national prejudices; and these bull-headed English
are the most prejudiced animals under the sun--and I was remorselessly
branded as a fright by a pack of sneering girls, half of whom had noses
as bad as my own. I had my private opinion on the subject, in which I
flattered myself my cousin (as I called Henry), would perfectly agree.

"He never told me he loved me. I felt certain that he did, and that it
was gratitude to my father, for all that he had done for him, which kept
him silent. This was a foolishly romantic notion of mine. But there was
a touch of romance about me in those days. I was green--very green. I
can laugh at myself now. But it has always been rather a sore subject.

"Henry did not speak himself. So I thought I would break the ice, and
speak for him. You look surprised. Well, I know it is not exactly
according to the general rules observed in such matters, which ties a
woman's tongue, and obliges her to wait with all humility, until she is
asked by some man, whom perhaps she does not care a fig for, to be his
wife. I never lived within rules, and I thought I had as much right to
please myself, and ask a man to marry me, as a man had to ask me to be
his wife.

"I made Henry an offer of my hand, heart, and fortune--and--it is no use
being ashamed at my time of life, of a thing which happened such a long
time ago--I was _refused_!--witho