he programme was a large one, and the Earl felt
that there might be some difficulty.

But in the teeth of that dubious malediction he persevered, and his
next attack was upon aunt Julia. "You liked her;--did you not?"

"Yes;--I liked her." The tone implied great doubt. "I liked her, till
I found that she had forgotten herself."

"But she didn't forget herself. She just did what any girl would have
done, living as she was living. She has behaved nobly to me."

"She has behaved no doubt conscientiously."

"Come, aunt Julia! Did you ever know any other woman to give away
ten thousand a-year to a fellow simply because he was her cousin? We
should do something for her. Why should you not ask her down here
again?"

"I don't think my brother would like it."

"He will if you tell him. And we must make a gentleman of him."

"My dear Frederic, you can never wash a blackamoor white."

"Let us try. Don't you oppose it. It behoves me, for my honour, to
show her some regard after what she has done for me."

Aunt Julia shook her head, and muttered to herself some further
remark about negroes. The inhabitants of the Yoxham rectory,--who
were well born, ladies and gentlemen without a stain, who were
hitherto free from all base intermarriages, and had nothing among
their male cousins below soldiers and sailors, parsons and lawyers,
who had successfully opposed an intended marriage between a cousin in
the third degree and an attorney because the alliance was below the
level of the Lovels, were peculiarly averse to any intermingling of
ranks. They were descended from ancient earls, and their chief was
an earl of the present day. There was but one titled young lady now
among them,--and she had only just won her right to be so considered.
There was but one Lady Anna,--and she was going to marry a tailor!
"Duty is duty," said aunt Julia as she hurried away. She meant her
nephew to understand that duty commanded her to shut her heart
against any cousin who could marry a tailor.

The lord next attacked aunt Jane. "You wouldn't mind having her
here?"

"Not if your uncle thought well of it," said Mrs. Lovel.

"I'll tell you what my scheme is." Then he told it all. Lady Anna
was to be invited to the rectory. The tailor was to be entertained
somewhere near on the night preceding his wedding. The marriage was
to be celebrated by his uncle in Yoxham Church. Sir William was to
be asked to join them. And the whole thing was to be done e