it better than did his wife. It was all a labour of love,
and a most unpleasant labour. "The Countess must take her away," the
Serjeant had said. And now the Serjeant had been told by the tailor,
in his own chambers, that his word was worth nothing!

"To tell you the truth, Lady Anna, we none of us like it,--not
because we do not like you, but because the whole thing is
disagreeable. You are creating very great misery, my dear, because
you are obstinate."

"Because I won't marry my cousin?"

"No, my dear; not because you won't marry your cousin. I have never
advised you to marry your cousin, unless you could love him. I don't
think girls should ever be told to marry this man or that. But it is
very proper that they should be told not to marry this man or that.
You are making everybody about you miserable, because you will not
give up a most improper engagement, made with a man who is in every
respect beneath you."

"I wish I were dead," said Lady Anna.

"It is very easy to say that, my dear; but what you ought to wish is,
to do your duty."

"I do wish to do my duty, Mrs. Bluestone."

"It can't be dutiful to stand out against your mother in this way.
You are breaking your mother's heart. And if you were to do this
thing, you would soon find that you had broken your own. It is
downright obstinacy. I don't like to be harsh, but as you are here,
in my charge, I am bound to tell you the truth."

"I wish mamma would let me go away," said Lady Anna, bursting into
tears.

"She will let you go at once, if you will only make the promise that
she asks of you." In saying this, Mrs. Bluestone was hardly more upon
the square than her husband had been, for she knew very well, at that
moment, that Lady Anna was to go to Keppel Street early on the Monday
morning, and she had quite made up her mind that her guest should not
come back to Bedford Square. She had now been moved to the special
severity which she had shown by certain annoyances of her own to
which she had been subjected by the presence of Lady Anna in her
house. She could neither entertain her friends nor go out to be
entertained by them, and had told the Serjeant more than once that
a great mistake had been made in having the girl there at all. But
judgment had operated with her as well as feeling. It was necessary
that Lady Anna should be made to understand before she saw the tailor
that she could not be happy, could not be comfortable, could not be
other than