ter; and as he owed
his wealth and station to honest industry and successful enterprise,
none heard the speech without thinking the better of him."

"The anecdote is new to me," said Lady Hester, superciliously; "and
I have little doubt that the worthy man was merely embellishing an
incident to suit the tastes of his company."

"It was the company around his table, as Lord Mayor of London!"

"I could have sworn it," said she, laughing; "but what has all this to
do with what I wished to speak about if I could but remember what it
was! These eternal digressions have made me forget everything."

Although the appeal was palpably directed to Sir Stafford, he sat silent
and motionless, patiently awaiting the moment when recollection might
enable her to resume.

"Dear me! how tiresome it is! I cannot think of what I came about, and
you will not assist me in the least."

"Up to this moment you have given me no clew to it," said Sir Stafford,
with a smile. "It was not to speak of Grounsell?"

"Of course not. I hate even to think of him!"

"Of Prichard, perhaps?" he said, with a half-sly twinkle of the eye.

"Just as little!"

"Possibly your friend Colonel Haggerstone was in your thoughts?"

"Pray do not call him my friend. I know very little of the gentleman; I
intend even to know less. I declined to receive him this morning, when
he sent up his card."

"An attention I fear he has not shown that poor creature he wounded,
Grounsell tells me."

"Oh, I have it!" said she, suddenly; the allusion to Hans at once
recalling the Daltons, and bringing to mind the circumstances she
desired to remember. "It was exactly of these poor people I came to
speak. You must know, Sir Stafford, that I have made the acquaintance
of a most interesting family here, a father and two daughters named
Dalton."

"Grounsell has already told me so," interrupted Sir Stafford.

"Of course, then, every step I have taken in this intimacy has been
represented in the most odious light. The amiable doctor will have,
doubtless, imputed to me the least worthy motives for knowing persons in
their station?"

"On the contrary, Hester. If he expressed any qualification to the
circumstance, it was in the form of a fear lest the charms of your
society and the graces of your manner might indispose them to return
with patience to the dull round of their daily privations."

"Indeed!" said she, superciliously. "A weak dose of his own acquaintance
would be,