arcely missed a
day in being written by his mother and Charlotte, seemed to show that
their stay was likely to be long. Lady Mabel was more broken than they
had expected, and claimed a long visit, as she was sure it would be
their last, while the Kilcoran party had taken possession of Laura and
Charlotte, as if they never meant to let them go. Charlotte wrote her
brother very full and very droll accounts of the Iricisms around her
which she enjoyed thoroughly, and Charles, declaring he never expected
to see little Charlotte come out in the character of the facetious
correspondent, used to send Mary Ross into fits of laughing by what he
read to her. Mr. Fielder, the tutor, wrote Charlotte, was very nearly
equal to Eveleen's description of him, but very particularly agreeable,
in fact, the only man who had any conversation, whom she had seen since
she had been at Kilcoran.

'Imagine,' said Charles, 'the impertinent little puss setting up for
intellectual conversation, forsooth!'

'That's what comes of living with good company,' said Mary.

The brother and sister used sometimes to drive to Broadstone to fetch
their letters by the second post.

'Charlotte, of course,' said Charles, as he opened one. 'My Lady
Morville, what's yours?'

'Only Mr. Markham,' said Amabel, 'about the winding up of our business
together, I suppose. What does Charlotte say?'

'Charlotte is in a fit of impudence, for which she deserves
chastisement,' said Charles, unable to help laughing, as he read,--

'Our last event was a call from the fidus Achates, who, it seems, can no
longer wander up and down the Mediterranean without his pius Aeneas,
and so has left the army, and got a diplomatic appointment somewhere in
Germany. Lord Kilcoran has asked him to come and stay here, and Mabel
and I are quite sure he comes for a purpose. Of course he has chosen
this time, in order that he may be able to have his companion before his
eyes, as a model for courtship, and I wish I had you to help me look
on whenever Philip comes, as that laugh I must enjoy alone with Bustle.
However, when Philip will come we cannot think, for we have heard
nothing of him this age, not even Laura, and she is beginning to look
very anxious about him. Do tell us if you know anything about him.
The last letter was when parliament was prorogued, and he was going to
Redclyffe, at least three weeks ago.'

'I wonder if Mr. Markham mentions him,' said Amabel, hastily unfolding
her