the necessity of having one confidant. He
could hardly, he thought, follow Ayala without some assistance. He
knew nothing of Mrs. Dosett, nothing of Kingsbury Crescent, and very
little as to Ayala herself. He regarded Lady Albury as his chosen
friend, and generally communicated to her whatever troubles he might
have. These had consisted chiefly of the persecutions to which he had
been subjected by the mothers of portionless young ladies. How not to
get married off against his will had been the difficulty of his life.
His half sister-in-law had hitherto preserved him, and therefore to
her he now went for assistance in this opposite affair. "Rosalind,"
he said in his gravest voice, "what do you think I have to tell you?"

Lady Albury knew what was coming, but of course she hid her
knowledge. "I hope Mrs. Motherly has not written to you again," she
said. Mrs. Motherly was a lady who had been anxious that her daughter
should grace Captain Batsby's table, and had written to him letters,
asking him his intentions.

"Oh, dear; nothing of that kind. I do not care a straw for Mrs.
Motherly or the girl either. I never said a word to her that any one
could make a handle of. But I want to say a word to somebody now."

"What sort of word is it to be, Ben?"

"Ah," he groaned. "Rosalind, you must understand that I never was so
much in earnest in my life!"

"You are always in earnest."

Then he sighed very deeply. "I shall expect you to help me through
this matter, Rosalind."

"Do I not always help you?"

"Yes; you do. But you must stick to me now like wax. What do you
think of that young lady, Miss Dormer?"

"I think she is a pretty girl; and the gentlemen tell me that she
rides bravely."

"Don't you consider her divine?" he asked.

"My dear Ben, one lady never considers another to be divine. Among
ourselves we are terribly human, if not worse. Do you mean to tell me
that you are in love with Ayala Dormer?"

"You have guessed it," said he. "You always do guess everything."

"I generally do guess as much as that, when young gentlemen find
young ladies divine. Do you know anything about Miss Dormer?"

"Nothing but her beauty;--nothing but her wit;--nothing but her
grace! I know all that, and I don't seem to want to know any more."

"Then you must be in love! In the first place she hasn't got a
sixpence in the world."

"I don't want sixpences," said the Captain, proudly.

"And in the next place I am not at all sure