friend, Mr. Herriot,--a
man whom I think you will like, if you will condescend to see him,
though he is a barrister like myself. You need express no immediate
condescension in his favour, as I shall of course come over alone on
Wednesday morning. Yours always affectionately, F. G."

The letter she received on the Sunday morning, and as the Wednesday
named for Frank's coming was the next Wednesday, and was close at
hand, she was in rather a better humour than she had displayed since
the poets had failed her. "What a blessing it will be," she said, "to
have somebody to speak to!"

This was not complimentary, but Miss Macnulty did not want
compliments. "Yes, indeed," she said. "Of course you will be glad to
see your cousin."

"I shall be glad to see anything in the shape of a man. I declare
that I have felt almost inclined to ask the minister from Craigie to
elope with me."

"He has got seven children," said Miss Macnulty.

"Yes, poor man, and a wife, and not more than enough to live upon. I
daresay he would have come. By-the-bye, I wonder whether there's a
pony about the place."

"A pony!" Miss Macnulty of course supposed that it was needed for the
purpose of the suggested elopement.

"Yes;--I suppose you know what a pony is? Of course there ought to
be a shooting pony at the cottage for these men. My poor head has so
many things to work upon that I had forgotten it; and you're never
any good at thinking of things."

"I didn't know that gentlemen wanted ponies for shooting."

"I wonder what you do know? Of course there must be a pony."

"I suppose you'll want two?"

"No, I sha'n't. You don't suppose that men always go riding about.
But I want one. What had I better do?" Miss Macnulty suggested that
Gowran should be consulted. Now, Gowran was the steward and bailiff
and manager and factotum about the place, who bought a cow or sold
one if occasion required, and saw that nobody stole anything, and
who knew the boundaries of the farms, and all about the tenants,
and looked after the pipes when frost came, and was an honest,
domineering, hard-working, intelligent Scotchman, who had been
brought up to love the Eustaces, and who hated his present mistress
with all his heart. He did not leave her service, having an idea in
his mind that it was now the great duty of his life to save Portray
from her ravages. Lizzie fully returned the compliment of the hatred,
and was determined to rid herself of Andy Gowran's serv