ed Caroline
to go with her. I am so pleased to find that my dear girl is such a
favourite."

Mr. Glascock immediately told himself that he saw the hook. If he
were to be fished for by this American aunt as he had been fished
for by English mothers, all his pleasure in the society of Caroline
Spalding would be at once over. It would be too much, indeed, if
in this American household he were to find the old vices of an
aristocracy superadded to young republican sins! Nevertheless Lady
Banbury was, as he knew well, a person whose opinion about young
people was supposed to be very good. She noticed those only who were
worthy of notice; and to have been taken by the hand by Lady Banbury
was acknowledged to be a passport into good society. If Caroline
Spalding was in truth going to Rome with Lady Banbury, that fact
was in itself a great confirmation of Mr. Glascock's good opinion
of her. Mrs. Spalding had perhaps understood this; but had not
understood that having just hinted that it was so, she should have
abstained from saying a word more about her dear girl. Clever and
well-practised must, indeed, be the hand of the fisherwoman in
matrimonial waters who is able to throw her fly without showing
any glimpse of the hook to the fish for whom she angles. Poor Mrs.
Spalding, though with kindly instincts towards her niece she did on
this occasion make some slight attempt at angling, was innocent of
any concerted plan. It seemed to her to be so natural to say a good
word in praise of her niece to the man whom she believed to be in
love with her niece.

Caroline and Mr. Glascock did not meet each other again till late in
the evening, and just as he was about to take his leave. As they came
together each of them involuntarily looked round to see whether Miss
Petrie was near. Had she been there nothing would have been said
beyond the shortest farewell greeting. But Miss Petrie was afar
off, electrifying some Italian by the vehemence of her sentiments,
and the audacious volubility of a language in which all arbitrary
restrictions were ignored. "Are you going?" she asked.

"Well;--I believe I am. Since I saw you last I've encountered Miss
Petrie again, and I'm rather depressed."

"Ah;--you don't know her. If you did you wouldn't laugh at her."

"Laugh at her! Indeed I do not do that; but when I'm told that I'm to
be thrown into the oven and burned because I'm such a worn-out old
institution--"

"You don't mean to say that you