from the India Office had told her that Augusta would accompany
Lady Fawn. "Augusta is my favourite sister," said the enamoured
lover, "and I hope that you two will always be friends." Lizzie, when
she had read this, had declared to herself that of all the female
oafs she had ever seen, Augusta Fawn was the greatest oaf. When she
found that Lady Fawn was alone, she did not betray herself, or ask
for the beloved friend of the future. "Dear, dear Lady Fawn!" she
said, throwing herself into the arms and nestling herself against the
bosom of the old lady, "this makes my happiness perfect." Then she
retreated a little, still holding the hand she had grasped between
her own, and looking up into the face of her future mother-in-law.
"When he asked me to be his wife, the first thing I thought of was
whether you would come to me at once." Her voice as she thus spoke
was perfect. Her manner was almost perfect. Perhaps there was a
little too much of gesture, too much gliding motion, too violent an
appeal with the eyes, too close a pressure of the hand. No suspicion,
however, of all this would have touched Lady Fawn had she come to
Mount Street without calling in Warwick Square on the way. But those
horrible words of her daughter were ringing in her ears, and she did
not know how to conduct herself.

"Of course I came as soon as he told me," she said.

"And you will be a mother to me?" demanded Lizzie.

Poor Lady Fawn! There was enough of maternity about her to have
enabled her to undertake the duty for a dozen sons' wives,--if the
wives were women with whom she could feel sympathy. And she could
feel sympathy very easily; and was a woman not at all prone to
inquire too curiously as to the merits of a son's wife. But what was
she to do after the caution she had received from Mrs. Hittaway? How
was she to promise maternal tenderness to a vixen and a liar? By
nature she was not a deceitful woman. "My dear," she said, "I hope
you will make him a good wife."

It was not very encouraging, but Lizzie made the best of it. It was
her desire to cheat Lady Fawn into a good opinion, and she was not
disappointed when no good opinion was expressed at once. It is seldom
that a bad person expects to be accounted good. It is the general
desire of such a one to conquer the existing evil impression; but it
is generally presumed that the evil impression is there. "Oh, Lady
Fawn!" she said, "I will so strive to make him happy. What is it that
he