a wrote, but the
lady's answer was very stiff. She thought it better for
Ayala to remain among her own friends. Poor Ayala! It is
clear that a knight will be wanted to go in armour, and
get her out of prison. I will leave it to you to say who
must be the knight.

I hope you will come for a day or two before you go to
Aldershot. We stay till the 1st of October. You will be a
beast if you don't. Lady Albury says she never means to
ask you again. "Oh, Stubbs!" said Sir Harry; "Stubbs is
one of those fellows who never come if they're asked." Of
course we all sat upon him. Then he declared that you were
the dearest friend he had in the world, but that he never
dared to dream that you would ever come to Stalham again.
Perhaps if we can hit it off at last with Ayala, then you
would come. Mamma means to try again.--Your affectionate
cousin,

NINA.

THE MARCHESA BALDONI TO HER NEPHEW, COLONEL STUBBS.

MY DEAR JONATHAN,

I did my best for my protege, but I am afraid it will not
succeed. Her aunt Mrs. Dosett seems to think that, as
Ayala is fated to live with her, Ayala had better take
her fate as she finds it. The meaning of that is, that if
a girl is doomed to have a dull life she had better not
begin it with a little pleasure. There is a good deal to
be said for the argument, but if I were the girl I should
like to begin with the pleasure and take my chance for
the reaction. I should perhaps be vain enough to think
that during the preliminary course I might solve all the
difficulty by my beaux yeux. I saw Mrs. Dosett once, and
now I have had a letter from her. Upon the whole, I am
inclined to pity poor Ayala.

We are very happy here. The Marchese has gone to Como
to look after some property he has there. Do not be
ill-natured enough to say that the two things go
together;--but in truth he is never comfortable out of
Italy. He had a slice of red meat put before him the other
day, and that decided him to start at once.

On the first of October we go back to London, and shall
remain till the end of November. They have asked Nina to
come again in November in order that she may see a hunt. I
know that means that she will try to jump over something,
and have her leg broken. You must be here and not allow
it. If she does come here I shall perhaps go down to
Brighton for a fortnight.