instead of her four-tined silver fork. These
little things annoyed Julia excessively, and numerous were the lectures
given in secret to Fanny, who would laugh merrily at her sister's distress
and say she really wished her father would dine some day at Mrs. Crane's
table.

"Heaven forbid that he should!" said Julia. "I should be mortified to
death."

"They would not mind his oddities," said Fanny, "for I overheard Mrs.
Crane telling the exquisitely fashionable Mrs. Carrington that our father
was 'a quizzical old savage, but rich as a nabob, and we should
undoubtedly inherit a hundred thousand dollars apiece.' And then Mrs.
Carrington said, 'Oh, is it possible? One can afford to patronize them.'
And then she added something else which I think I'll not tell you."

"Oh, do," said Julia. "It too bad to raise my curiosity and not gratify
it."

"Well, then," said Fanny, "Mrs. Carrington said, 'There is a rumor that
the eldest Miss Middleton is engaged to Mr. Wilmot. I wonder at it, for
with her extreme beauty and great fortune, she could command a more
eligible match than a poor pedagogue.'"

The next morning at breakfast Mrs. Crane informed her boarders that she
expected a new arrival the next day, Friday. She said, "It is a new
gentleman from New Orleans. His name is Dr. Lacey. His parents were
natives of Boston, Massachusetts, but he was born in New Orleans, and will
inherit from his father a large fortune; but as he wished for a
profession, he chose that of medicine. He is a graduate of Yale College
and usually spends his summers North, so this season he stops in
Frankfort, and honors my house with his presence. He is very handsome and
agreeable, and these young ladies might put a lock and key on their
hearts."

The last part of this speech was directed to Julia, who blushed deeply,
and secretly wondered if Dr. Lacey were as handsome as Mr. Wilmot. She
frequently found herself thinking about him during the day, but Fanny
never gave him a thought until evening, when, as she and her sister were
together in their room, the latter suddenly exclaimed, "I wonder if Dr.
Lacey will be here at breakfast tomorrow morning."

"And if he is," said Fanny, "I suppose you want me to be very careful to
use my fork, and break my egg correctly."

"I think it would be well for you always to try and show as much good
breeding as possible," said Julia.

"Well," returned Fanny, "I reckon this Dr. Lacing or Dr. Lacework--what's
his na