“And I will make my own way in the world,” said Jane; “and, William Dalzell, do not be hurt if I give you one friendly piece of advice on parting—­try to make your own way in the world too.  Shake yourself clear of your own embarrassments by your own industry—­a far better way than by marrying a rich wife.”

She looked very kindly at the young man as she spoke, but he did not take the advice in the friendly spirit in which it was given.  He answered rather shortly, that he dared to say he would do as well as other people, and then began to ask what she knew about the heir, if she had ever seen him before, or heard Mr. Hogarth speak of him.  She answered——­

“No, never; but I cannot answer questions.  I cannot converse rationally any longer.  You had better go away, Mr. Dalzell, and let me have a little rest, for I am rather weary.”

The young gentleman stumbled down stairs, and rode home ruminating over the downfall of all his cherished expectations; while Jane said to herself, “It is over, and it is better so.  He really is a smaller character than I thought he was.”

Chapter II.

Disappointment and Hope; Prose and Poetry

When Jane Melville told her cousin that her uncle had been always kind and always reasonable, she expressed her own opinion, for she had loved and honoured him so much that she felt no hardship in doing everything he wished; but no one else in the house or in the neighbourhood would have endorsed that opinion.  When the rumour spread far and wide that he had disinherited his nieces, in the expectation that the education he had given them would enable them to provide handsomely for themselves, the servants and workpeople about shook their heads, and said it was “aye weel kenned that the auld laird had a bee in his bonnet;” while the class with whom Mr. Hogarth associated on more equal terms declared; that this last eccentricity of affection (for it was all done out of pure love), surpassed all his other oddities with regard to the girls, which had long been the talk of the whole country.

They had, as Jane sadly confessed, made but few friends.  Their uncle’s reasonable prejudices extended to morning visits, which he called a frivolous waste of time; and he had a similar dislike to evening parties; not on account of a puritanic disapproval of dancing, or of young people of different sexes meeting and having opportunities of getting acquainted with each other, but the hours were so irrational, and the conventional dress so unbecoming and dangerous to health, that he had prohibited Jane and Elsie from accepting the invitations that were showered on them when they had given up lessons and were supposed to be ready to come out.  If people would meet at six, and break up before twelve, and wear dresses fashioned like their ordinary attire, Mr. Hogarth saw no objection to evening parties.  He had invited the neighbours to such a party, and mentioned in his note of invitation the conditions on which it was to be attended.  A good many had accepted, partly from curiosity, and partly from a wish to be friendly; but, in spite of really good arrangements and an excellent supper, the party was not such a success as to be repeated often by Mr. Hogarth, and was never imitated by any of his guests.