y from this last interval with Mrs. Baker, Lady Staveley
interrupted her son and Sophia Furnival in the back drawing-room, and
began to feel that her solicitude for her children would be almost
too much for her. Why had she asked that nasty girl to her house, and
why would not the nasty girl go away? As for her going away, there
was no present hope; for it had been arranged that she should stay
for another fortnight. Why could not the Fates have been kind, and
have allowed Felix Graham and Miss Furnival to fall in love with each
other? "I can never make a daughter of her if he does marry her,"
Lady Staveley said to herself, as she looked at them.

Augustus looked as though he were detected, and stammered out some
question about his mother and the carriage; but Miss Furnival did not
for a moment lose her easy presence of mind. "Lady Staveley," said
she, "why does not your son go and hunt, or shoot, or fish, instead
of staying in the house all day? It seems to me that his time is so
heavy on his hands that he will almost have to hang himself."

"I'm sure I can't tell," said Lady Staveley, who was not so perfect
an actor as her guest.

"I do think gentlemen in the house in the morning always look so
unfortunate. You have been endeavouring to make yourself agreeable,
but you know you've been yawning."

"Do you suppose then that men never sit still in the morning?" said
Augustus.

"Oh, in their chambers, yes; or on the bench, and perhaps also behind
counters; but they very seldom do so in a drawing-room. You have been
fidgeting about with the poker till you have destroyed the look of
the fireplace."

"Well, I'll go and fidget up stairs with Graham," said he; and so he
left the room.

"Nasty, sly girl," said Lady Staveley to herself as she took up her
work and sat herself down in her own chair.

Augustus did go up to his friend and found him reading letters. There
was no one else in the room, and the door when Augustus reached it
was properly closed. "I think I shall be off to-morrow, old boy,"
said Felix.

"Then I think you'll do no such thing," said Augustus. "What's in the
wind now?"

"The doctor said this morning that I could be moved without danger."

"He said that it might possibly be done in two or three days--that
was all. What on earth makes you so impatient? You've nothing to do.
Nobody else wants to see you; and nobody here wants to get rid of
you."

"You're wrong in all your three statements."