riages often make people very happy."

"Do you think he loves her?" said Adela, whose ideas of marriage were
of very primitive description.

"Well, I don't see why he shouldn't; that is in a sort of a way. He
won't write poetry about her eyebrows, if you mean that. But I think
he'd like her to keep his house for him; and now that Caroline is
going away, I think she'd like to have some one to live with. She's
not born to be a solitary wild beast as I am."

Adela was surprised, but she had nothing to say. She was aware of
no reason which it suited her to allege why Miss Baker should not
marry Sir Lionel Bertram. Had she been asked before, she would have
said that Miss Baker seemed settled in her maiden life; and that
she was but little likely to be moved by the civil speeches of an
old military beau. But silence was perhaps the more prudent, and,
therefore, she said nothing.

Her fortnight with Miss Todd passed without much inconvenience to
her. She had to sit out one or two card-parties; and to resist,
at last with peremptory decision, her host's attempts to take her
elsewhere. But Miss Todd was so truly kind, so generous, so fond of
making others happy, that she won upon Adela at last, and they parted
excellent friends.

"I am so fond of Miss Baker," Miss Todd said, on the last morning;
"and I do so truly hope she'll be happy; but don't you say a word
about what I was saying. Only you watch if it isn't true. You'll see
quite as much of Sir Lionel there as you have here:" and so they
parted, and Adela was transferred over to Montpellier Terrace.

There had been some probability that Caroline would return to
Littlebath with her aunt; but such was not the case. The autumn was
advancing to its close. It was now November, and hardly a month
remained before that--may we say happy day?--on which Miss Waddington
was to become Lady Harcourt. There was, as Miss Baker said, so much
to do, and so little time to do it! It had therefore been decided
that Caroline should not return to Littlebath.

"And you have come back only on my account?" said Adela.

"Not at all; I should have come back any way, for many reasons. I
like to see Mr. Bertram from time to time, especially now that he
has acknowledged Caroline; but it would kill me to stay long at that
house. Did you see much of Sir Lionel while you were at Miss Todd's?"

"Yes, a good deal," said Adela, who could hardly keep from smiling as
she answered the question.

"He