d hung! I would have done it willingly,--willingly; or
any other man." After that Captain Batsby thought it might be prudent
not to say anything especial as to his own love.

And how foolish would it be for a man like himself, with a good
fortune of his own, to marry any girl who had not a sixpence!
The Captain was led into this vain thought by the great civility
displayed to him by the ladies of the house. With Lucy, whom he knew
to be Ayala's sister, he had not prospered very well. It came to
his ears that she was out of favour with her aunt, and he therefore
meddled with her but little. The Tringle ladies, however, were very
kind to him,--so kind that he was tempted to think less than ever of
one who had been so little courteous to him as Ayala. Mrs. Traffick
was of course a married woman, and it amounted to nothing. But
Gertrude--! All the world knew that Septimus Traffick without a
shilling of his own had become the happy possessor of a very large
sum of money. He, Batsby, had more to recommend him than Traffick!
Why should not he also become a happy possessor? He went away for a
week's hunting into Northamptonshire, and then, at Lady Tringle's
request, came back to Merle Park.

At this time Miss Tringle had quite recovered her health. She had
dropped all immediate speech as to Mr. Houston. Had she not been
provoked, she would have allowed all that to drop into oblivion. But
a married sister may take liberties. "You are well rid of him, I
think," said Augusta. Gertrude heaved a deep sigh. She did not wish
to acknowledge herself to be rid of him until another string were
well fitted to her bow. "After all, a man with nothing to do in the
world, with no profession, no occupation, with no money--"

"Mr. Traffick had not got very much money of his own."

"He has a seat in Parliament, which is very much more than fortune,
and will undoubtedly be in power when his party comes in. And he is a
man of birth. But Frank Houston had nothing to recommend him."

"Birth!" said Gertrude, turning up her nose.

"The Queen, who is the fountain of honour, made his father a
nobleman, and that constitutes birth." This the married sister
said with stern severity of manner, and perfect reliance on the
constitutional privileges of her Sovereign.

"I don't know that we need talk about it," said Gertrude.

"Not at all. Mr. Houston has behaved very badly, and I suppose there
is an end of him as far as this house is concerned. Captain