f personal good conduct than of
rings and jewels."

"Rings and jewels, and--personal conduct may go together; mayn't they?"

"Of course they may."

"And very often do. You won't think my--personal conduct--will be
injured because I wear my aunt's ring?"

When Lord George made his allusion to personal conduct one of her two
hands dropped from his arm, and now, as she repeated the words, there
was a little sting of sarcasm in her voice.

"I was intending to answer your aunt's opinion that young people ought
to wear nice things. No doubt there is at present a great rage for rich
ornaments and costly dress, and it was of these she was thinking when
she spoke of nice things. When I spoke of personal conduct being more
thought of here, I intended to imply that you had come into a family
not given to rich ornaments and costly dress. My sisters feel that
their portion in this world is assured to them without such outward
badges, and wish that you should share the feeling."

This was a regular sermon, and to Mary's thinking was very
disagreeable, and not at all deserved. Did her husband really mean to
tell her that, because his sisters chose to dress themselves down in
the country like dowdy old maids whom the world had deserted, she was
to do the same up in London? The injustice of this on all sides struck
home to her at the moment. They were old and she was young. They were
plain; she was pretty. They were poor; she was rich. They didn't feel
any wish to make themselves what she called "nice." She did feel a very
strong wish in that direction. They were old maids; she was a young
bride. And then what right had they to domineer over her, and to send
word to her through her husband of their wishes as to her manner of
dressing? She said nothing at the moment; but she became red, and began
to feel that she had power within her to rebel at any rate against her
sisters-in-law. There was silence for a moment or so, and then Lord
George reverted to the subject.

"I hope you can sympathise with my sisters," he said. He had felt that
the hand had been dropped, and had understood something of the reason.

She wished to rebel against them, but by no means wished to oppose him.
She was aware, as though by instinct, that her life would be very bad
indeed should she fail to sympathise with him. It was still the
all-paramount desire of her heart to be in love with him. But she could
not bring herself to say that she sympathised with