, my girl." And he absolutely put out his
arms and embraced her. "Write a good-natured letter to your mother,
and ask her to come up for a week in May. That'll be the best thing;
and then she'll understand. By Jove, it's twelve o'clock. Goodbye."

Lady Dumbello was well aware that she had triumphed, and that her
mother's letter had been invaluable to her. But it had been used, and
therefore she did not read it again. She ate her breakfast in quiet
comfort, looking over a milliner's French circular as she did so; and
then, when the time for such an operation had fully come, she got to
her writing-table and answered her mother's letter.

DEAR MAMMA [she said],

I thought it best to show your letter at once to Lord
Dumbello. He said that people would be ill-natured, and
seemed to think that the telling of such stories could not
be helped. As regards you, he was not a bit angry, but said
that you and papa had better come to us for a week about
the end of next month. Do come. We are to have rather a
large dinner-party on the 23rd. His Royal Highness is
coming, and I think papa would like to meet him. Have you
observed that those very high bonnets have all gone out: I
never, liked them; and as I had got a hint from Paris, I
have been doing my best to put them down. I do hope nothing
will prevent your coming.

Your affectionate daughter,

G. DUMBELLO.

CARLTON GARDENS, Wednesday.

Mrs Grantly was aware, from the moment in which she received the
letter, that she had wronged her daughter by her suspicions. It did
not occur to her to disbelieve a word that was said in the letter,
or an inference that was implied. She had been wrong, and rejoiced
that it was so. But nevertheless there was that in the letter which
annoyed and irritated her, though she could not explain to herself
the cause of her annoyance. She had thrown all her heart into that
which she had written, but in the words which her child had written,
not a vestige of heart was to be found. In that reconciling of God
and Mammon which Mrs Grantly had carried on so successfully in the
education of her daughter, the organ had not been required, and had
become withered, if not defunct, through want of use.

"We will not go there, I think," said Mrs Grantly, speaking to her
husband.

"Oh dear, no; certainly not. If you want to go to town at all, I will
take rooms for you. And as for his Royal Highness--! I have