--in such a
manner as to leave no possible chance of a reconciliation,--and he
also was about to be her guest. And then, as to her chosen heir, she
was now assisting him in doing the only thing, as to which she had
declared that if he did do it, he should not be her heir. As she went
about the house, under an idea that such a multiplicity of persons
could not be housed and fed without superhuman exertion, she thought
of all this, and could not help confessing to herself that her life
had been very vain. It was only when her eyes rested on Dorothy, and
she saw how supremely happy was the one person whom she had taken
most closely to her heart, that she could feel that she had done
anything that should not have been left undone. "I think I'll sit
down now, Dorothy," she said, "or I sha'n't be able to be with you
to-morrow."

"Do, aunt. Everything is all ready, and nobody will be here for an
hour yet. Nothing can be nicer than the rooms, and nothing ever was
done so well before. I'm only thinking how lonely you'll be when
we're gone."

"It'll be only for six weeks."

"But six weeks is such a long time."

"What would it have been if he had taken you up to London, my pet?
Are you sure your mother wouldn't like a fire in her room, Dorothy?"

"A fire in September, aunt?"

"People live so differently. One never knows."

"They never have but one fire at Nuncombe, aunt, summer or winter."

"That's no reason they shouldn't be comfortable here." However, she
did not insist on having the fire lighted.

Mrs. Stanbury and Priscilla came first, and the meeting was certainly
very uncomfortable. Poor Mrs. Stanbury was shy, and could hardly
speak a word. Miss Stanbury thought that her visitor was haughty,
and, though she endeavoured to be gracious, did it with a struggle.
They called each other ma'am, which made Dorothy uneasy. Each of them
was so dear to her, that it was a pity that they should glower at
each other like enemies. Priscilla was not at all shy; but she was
combative, and, as her aunt said of her afterwards, would not keep
her prickles in. "I hope, Priscilla, you like weddings," said Miss
Stanbury to her, not knowing where to find a subject for
conversation.

"In the abstract I like them," said Priscilla. Miss Stanbury did not
know what her niece meant by liking weddings in the abstract, and was
angry.

"I suppose you do have weddings at Nuncombe Putney sometimes," she
said.

"I hope they do," said Priscill