ould take Charlotte to
visit her grandmamma, in Ireland. They would have gone last autumn,
but for Guy's illness, and now Aunt Charlotte wrote to hasten the
performance of the project. Lady Mabel was very anxious to see them,
she said; and having grown much more infirm of late, seemed to think
it would be the last meeting with her son. She talked so much of Mrs.
Edmonstone and Laura, that it was plain that she wished extremely for a
visit from them, though she did not like to ask it, in the present state
of the family.

A special invitation was sent to Bustle; indeed, Charles said Charlotte
could not have gone without his permission, for he reigned like a tyrant
over her, evidently believing her created for no purpose but to wait on
him, and take him to walk.

Laura was a great favourite at the cottage of Kilcoran, and felt she
ought to offer to go. Philip fully agreed, and held out home hopes of
following as soon as the session, was over, and he had been to Redclyffe
about some business that had been deferred too long.

And now it appeared that Mr. Edmonstone had a great desire to take
his wife, and she herself said, that under any other circumstances she
should have been very desirous of going. She had not been to Ireland
for fifteen years, and was sorry to have seen so little of her
mother-in-law; and now that it had been proved that Charles could exist
without her, she would not have hesitated to leave him, but for Amabel's
state of health and spirits, which made going from home out of the
question.

Charles and Amabel did not think so. It was not to be endured, that when
grandmamma wished for her, she should stay at home for them without real
necessity; besides, the fatigue, anxiety, and sorrow she had undergone
of late, had told on her, and had made her alter perceptibly, from being
remarkably fresh and youthful, to be somewhat aged; and the change to a
new scene, where she could not be distressing herself at every failure
in cheerfulness of poor Amy's, was just the thing to do her good.

Amabel was not afraid of the sole charge of Charles or of the baby, for
she had been taught but too well to manage for herself, she understood
Charles very well, and had too much quiet good sense to be fanciful
about her very healthy baby. Though she was inexperienced, with old
nurse hard by, and Dr. Mayerne at Broadstone, there was no fear of
her not having good counsel enough. She was glad to be of some use, by
enabling h