of the whole world, than to be allowed to take their own way?  Conceive my vexation at being told by papa this morning that he had not the least objection to Edward and me marrying whenever we pleased, although he thought we might both have done better; but that was our own affair, not his; that he thought Edward a fine, good humoured fellow—­excessively amusing; hoped he would get a ship some day, although he had no interest whatever in the Admiralty; was sorry he could not give us any money, but hoped we should remain at Beech Park as long as we liked.  I really feel quite flat with all these dull affirmations.”

“What! you had rather have been locked up in a tower—­wringing your hands at the height of the windows, the thickness of the walls, and so forth,” said Mary.

“No:  I should never have done anything so like a washerwoman as to wring my hands; though I might, like some heroines, have fallen to work in a regular blacksmith-way, by examining the lock of the door, and perhaps have succeeded in picking it; but, alas!  I live in degenerate days.  Oh that I had been born the persecuted daughter of some ancient baron bold instead of the spoiled child of a good natured modern earl!  Heavens! to think that I must tamely, abjectly submit to be married in the presence of all my family, even in the very parish church!  Oh, what detractions from the brilliancy of my star!”

In spite of her levity Lady Emily was seriously interested in her cousin’s affairs, and tried every means of obtaining Lady Juliana’s consent; but Lady Juliana was become more unmanageable than ever.  Her temper, always bad, was now soured by chagrin and disappointment into something, if possible, still worse, and Lady Emily’s authority had no longer any control over her; even the threat of producing Aunt Grizzy to a brilliant assembly had now lost its effect.  Dr. Redgill was the only auxiliary she possessed in the family, and he most cordially joined he in condemning Miss Mary’s obstinacy and infatuation.  What could she see in a man with such an insignificant bit of property, a mere nest for blackbirds and linnets, and such sort of vermin.  Not a morsel of any sort of game on his grounds; while at Glenallan, he had been credibly informed, such was the abundance that the deer had been seen stalking and the black-cock flying past the very door!  But the Doctor’s indignation was suddenly suspended by a fit of apoplexy; from which, however, he rallied, and passed it off for the present as a sort of vertigo, in consequence of the shock he had received at hearing of Miss Mary’s misconduct.

At length even Colonel Lennox’s forbearance was exhausted, and Mary’s health and spirits were sinking beneath the conflict she had to maintain, when a sudden revolution in Lady Juliana’s plans caused also a revolution in her sentiments.  This was occasioned by a letter from Adelaide, now Lady Lindore.  It was evidently written under the influence of melancholy and discontent; and, as Lady Emily said, nothing could be a stronger proof of poor Adelaide’s wretchedness than her expressing a wish that her mother should join her in the South of France, where she was going on account of her health.