not occasioned by
any express love for Nora Rowley. Nora Rowley was all very well, but
Nora Rowley towards her had been flippant, impatient, and, indeed,
not always so civil as a young lady should be to the elderly friends
of her married sister. But to Lady Milborough it had seemed to be
quite terrible that a young girl should be left alone in the world,
without anybody to take care of her. Young ladies, according to her
views of life, were fragile plants that wanted much nursing before
they could be allowed to be planted out in the gardens of the
world as married women. When she heard from Lady Rowley that Nora
was engaged to marry Hugh Stanbury,--"You know all about Lord
Peterborough, Lady Milborough; but it is no use going back to that
now,--is it? And Mr. Stanbury has behaved so exceedingly well
in regard to poor Louis,"--when Lady Milborough heard this, and
heard also that Nora was talking of going to live by herself--in
lodgings--she swore to herself, like a goodly Christian woman, as
she was, that such a thing must not be. Eccleston Square in July
and August is not pleasant, unless it be to an inhabitant who
is interested in the fag-end of the parliamentary session. Lady
Milborough had no interest in politics,--had not much interest even
in seeing the social season out to its dregs. She ordinarily remained
in London till the beginning or middle of July, because the people
with whom she lived were in the habit of doing so;--but as soon as
ever she had fixed the date of her departure, that day to her was
a day of release. On this occasion the day had been fixed,--and it
was unfixed, and changed, and postponed, because it was manifest
to Lady Milborough that she could do good by remaining for another
fortnight. When she made the offer she said nothing of her previous
arrangements. "Lady Rowley, let her come to me. As soon as her friend
Lady Peterborough is at Monkhams, she can go there."

Thus it was that Nora found herself established in Eccleston Square.
As she took her place in Lady Milborough's drawing-rooms, she
remembered well a certain day, now two years ago, when she had first
heard of the glories of Monkhams in that very house. Lady Milborough,
as good-natured then as she was now, had brought Mr. Glascock and
Nora together, simply because she had heard that the gentleman
admired the young lady. Nora, in her pride, had resented this as
interference,--had felt that the thing had been done, and, though she