ll of a wild joy, half joy half fear, when she got
her letter; and, therefore, punctually at four o'clock on that Sunday
she was ensconced among the Sheepstone Birches, so that she might see
without much danger of being seen. Poor Ruby Ruggles, who was left to
be so much mistress of herself at the time of her life in which she
most required the kindness of a controlling hand!

Mr Ruggles held his land, or the greater part of it, on what is called
a bishop's lease, Sheep's Acre Farm being a part of the property which
did belong to the bishopric of Elmham, and which was still set apart
for its sustentation;--but he also held a small extent of outlying
meadow which belonged to the Carbury estate, so that he was one of the
tenants of Roger Carbury. Those Sheepstone Birches, at which Felix
made his appointment, belonged to Roger. On a former occasion, when
the feeling between the two cousins was kinder than that which now
existed, Felix had ridden over with the landlord to call on the old
man, and had then first seen Ruby;--and had heard from Roger something
of Ruby's history up to that date. It had then been just made known
that she was to marry John Crumb. Since that time not a word had been
spoken between the men respecting the girl. Mr Carbury had heard, with
sorrow, that the marriage was either postponed or abandoned,--but his
growing dislike to the baronet had made it very improbable that there
should be any conversation between them on the subject. Sir Felix,
however, had probably heard more of Ruby Ruggles than her
grandfather's landlord.

There is, perhaps, no condition of mind more difficult for the
ordinarily well-instructed inhabitant of a city to realise than that
of such a girl as Ruby Ruggles. The rural day labourer and his wife
live on a level surface which is comparatively open to the eye. Their
aspirations, whether for good or evil,--whether for food and drink to be
honestly earned for themselves and children, or for drink first, to be
come by either honestly or dishonestly,--are, if looked at at all, fairly
visible. And with the men of the Ruggles class one can generally find
out what they would be at, and in what direction their minds are at
work. But the Ruggles woman,--especially the Ruggles young woman,--is
better educated, has higher aspirations and a brighter imagination,
and is infinitely more cunning than the man. If she be good-looking
and relieved from the pressure of want, her thoughts soar int