replied by telling her that she was nasty.  “No; but, unfortunately, I cannot but see nastiness.”  Dolly herself was clean to fastidiousness.  Take off her coarse frock, and there the well-dressed lady began.  “Look at the heels of Sophie’s boots!  Give her a push, and she’d fall off her pins as though they were stilts.  They’re always asking to have a shoemaker’s bill paid, and yet they won’t wear stout boots.”  “I’ll pay the man,” she said to Amelia one day, “if you’ll promise to wear what I’ll buy you for the next six months.”  But Amelia had only turned up her nose.  These were the relatives to whom it would become her duty to devote her life!

The next morning she started off to call in Bolsover Terrace with an intention, not to begin her duty, but to make a struggle at the adequate performance of it.  She took with her some article of clothing intended for one of the younger children, but which the child herself was to complete.  But when she entered the parlor she was astounded at finding that Mr. Carroll was there.  It was nearly twelve o’clock, and at that time Mr. Carroll never was there.  He was either in bed, or at Tattersall’s, or—­Dolly did not care where.  She had long since made up her mind that there must be a permanent quarrel between herself and her uncle, and her desire was generally respected.  Now, unfortunately, he was present, and with him were his wife and two elder daughters.  To be devoted, thought Dolly to herself, to such a family as this,—­and without anybody else in the world to care for!  She gave her aunt a kiss, and touched the girls’ hands, and made a very distant bow to Mr. Carroll.  Then she began about the parcel in her hands, and, having given her instructions, was preparing to depart.

But her aunt stopped her.  “I think you ought to know, Dorothea.”

“Certainly,” said Mr. Carroll.  “It is quite right that your cousin should know.”

“If you think it proper, I’m sure I can’t object,” said Amelia.

“She won’t approve, I’m sure,” said Sophie.

“Her young man has come forward and spoken,” said Mr. Carroll.

“And quite in a proper spirit,” said Amelia.

“Of course,” said Mrs. Carroll, “we are not to expect too much.  Though we are respectable in birth, and all that, we are poor.  Mr. Carroll has got nothing to give her.”

“I’ve been the most unfortunate man in the world,” said Mr. Carroll.

“We won’t talk about that now,” continued Mrs. Carroll.  “Here we are without anything.”

“You have decent blood,” said Dolly; “at any rate on one side,”—­for she did not believe in the Carrolls.

“On both,—­on both,” said Mr. Carroll, rising up, and putting his hand upon his heart.  “I can boast of royal blood among my ancestors.”

“But here we are without anything,” said Mrs. Carroll again.  “Mr. Juniper is a most respectable man.”

“He has been attached to some of the leading racing establishments in the kingdom,” said Mr. Carroll.  Dolly had heard of Mr. Juniper as a trainer, though she did not accurately know what a trainer meant.