press their gratitude to her for
letting them off. Mary and Blanche did, indeed, look rather blank, but
Blanche was consoled, by settling with Hector the splendours in store
for Alan and Margaret, and Mary cared the less, as there would be no
Harry to enjoy the fun.

The bride-maiden's glory was theirs by right, though Ethel was an
unsatisfactory chief for such as desired splendour. She protested
against anything incongruous with January, or that could not be useful
afterwards, and Meta took her part, laughing at the cruel stroke they
were preparing for Bellairs. Ethel begged for dark silks and straw
bonnets, and Flora said that she had expected to hear of brown stuff
and gray duffle, but owned that they had better omit the ordinary muslin
garb in the heart of winter. The baby bride's-maid was, at last, the
chief consideration. Margaret suggested how pretty she and Blanche would
look in sky-blue merino, trimmed with swan's-down. Meta was charmed with
the idea, and though Ethel stuck out her shoulder-blades and poked
out her head, and said she should look like the ugly duckling, she was
clamorously reminded that the ugly duckling ended by being a swan,
and promised that she should be allowed a bonnet of a reasonable size,
trimmed with white, for Mr. Rivers's good taste could endure, as little
as Dr. May's sense of propriety, the sight of a daughter without shade
to her face, Ethel, finally, gave in, on being put in mind that her papa
had a penchant for swan's-down, and on Margaret's promising to wear a
dress of the same as theirs.

Ethel was pleased and satisfied by Flora's dislike of parade, and
attention to the feelings of all. Passing over the one great fact,
the two sisters were more of one mind than usual, probably because all
latent jealousy of Ethel had ceased in Flora's mind. Hitherto, she had
preferred the being the only practically useful person in the family,
and had encouraged the idea of Ethel's gaucherie but now she desired to
render her sister able to take her place, and did all in her power to
put her in good heart.

For Etheldred was terrified at the prospect of becoming responsible
housekeeper. Margaret could only serve as an occasional reference. Her
morning powers became too uncertain to be depended on for any regular,
necessary duty, and it would have oppressed her so much to order the
dinners, which she never saw, that, though she offered to resume the
office, Flora would not hear of Ethel's cons