ily is, made with great
celerity, the return journey, if made at all, must be made slowly. A
young woman may commence in chignons by attaching any amount of an
edifice to her head; but the reduction should be made by degrees.
Arabella's edifice had, in Miss Stanbury's eyes, been the ugliest
thing in art that she had known; but, now, its absence offended her,
and she most untruly declared that she had come upon the young woman
in the middle of the day just out of her bed-room and almost in her
dressing-gown.

And the whole French family suffered a diminution of power from the
strange phantasy which had come upon Arabella. They all felt, in
sight of the enemy, that they had to a certain degree lowered their
flag. One of the ships, at least, had shown signs of striking,
and this element of weakness made itself felt through the whole
fleet. Arabella, herself, when she saw Miss Stanbury, was painfully
conscious of her head, and wished that she had postponed the
operation till the evening. She smiled with a faint watery smile, and
was aware that something ailed her.

The greetings at first were civil, but very formal, as are those
between nations which are nominally at peace, but which are waiting
for a sign at which each may spring at the other's throat. In this
instance the Juno from the Close had come quite prepared to declare
her casus belli as complete, and to fling down her gauntlet, unless
the enemy should at once yield to her everything demanded with an
abject submission. "Mrs. French," she said, "I have called to-day
for a particular purpose, and I must address myself chiefly to Miss
Camilla."

"Oh, certainly," said Mrs. French.

"I shall be delighted to hear anything from you, Miss Stanbury," said
Camilla,--not without an air of bravado. Arabella said nothing, but
she put her hand up almost convulsively to the back of her head.

"I have been told to-day by a friend of mine, Miss Camilla," began
Miss Stanbury, "that you declared yourself, in her presence,
authorised by Mr. Gibson to make a statement about my niece Dorothy."

"May I ask who was your friend?" demanded Mrs. French.

"It was Mrs. Clifford, of course," said Camilla. "There is nobody
else would try to make difficulties."

"There need be no difficulty at all, Miss Camilla," said Miss
Stanbury, "if you will promise me that you will not repeat the
statement. It can't be true."

"But it is true," said Camilla.

"What is true?" asked Miss Stanbury