d Edgar, recovering himself, and holding
out his hand as he advanced towards her; "I did not anticipate the
pleasure of meeting _you_ here."

"Then you are acquainted already!" exclaimed Miss Pritty, looking as
much amazed as if the accident of two young people being acquainted
without her knowledge were something tantamount to a miracle.

"Yes, I have met Mr Berrington at my father's several times," said
Aileen, resuming her seat, and bestowing a minute examination on the
corner of her handkerchief.

If Aileen had added that she had met Mr Berrington every evening for a
week past at her father's, had there renewed the acquaintance begun in
London a year before, and had been wooed and won by him before his stern
repulse by her father, she would have said nothing beyond the bare
truth; but she thought, no doubt, that it was not necessary to add all
that.

"Well, well, what strange things do happen!" said Miss Pritty, resuming
her duties at the tea-table. "Sugar, Eddy? And cream?--Only to think
that Aileen and I have known each other so well, and she did not know
that you were my nephew; but after all it could not well be otherwise,
for now I think of it, I never mentioned your name to her. Out of
sight, out of mind, Eddy, you know, and indeed you don't deserve to be
remembered. If we all had our deserts, some people that I know of would
be in a very different position from what they are, and some people
wouldn't _be_ at all."

"Why, aunt," said Edgar, laughing. "Would you--"

"Some more cake, Eddy?"

"No, thank you. I was going to say--"

"Have you enough cream? Allow me to--"

"_Quite_ enough, thanks. I was about to remark--"

"Some sugar, Aileen?--I beg your pardon--yes--you were about to say--"

"Oh! Nothing," replied Edgar, half exasperated by these frequent
interruptions, but laughing in spite of himself, "only I'm surprised
that sentence of annihilation should be passed on `some people' by one
so amiable as you are."

"Oh! I didn't exactly mean annihilation," returned Miss Pritty, with a
pitiful smile; "I only mean that I wouldn't have had them come into
existence, they seem to be so utterly useless in the world, and _so_
interfering, too, with those who _want_ to be useful."

"Surely that quality, or capacity of interference, proves them to be not
_utterly_ useless," said Edgar, "for does it not give occasion for the
exercise of patience and forbearance?"

"Ah!" replied Miss Pritty, wit