’I don’t know; I always feel as if he owed me a grudge, and men have so many ways of being spiteful.  You must acknowledge that if he had not met you I should not have had dear Lady Cumnor so angry with me.’

’She only wanted to warn you about Cynthia.  Mamma has always been very particular about her own daughters.  She has been very severe on the least approach to flirting, and Mary will be like her!’

’But Cynthia will flirt, and I can’t help it.  She is not noisy, or giggling; she is always a lady—­that everybody must own.  But she has a way of attracting men, she must have inherited from me, I think.’  And here she smiled faintly, and would not have rejected a confirmatory compliment, but none came.  ’However, I will speak to her; I will get to the bottom of the whole affair.  Pray tell Lady Cumnor that it has so fluttered me the way she spoke, about my dress and all.  And it only cost five guineas after all, reduced from eight!’

’Well, never mind now.  You are looking very much flushed; quite feverish!  I left you too long in mamma’s hot room.  But do you know she is so much pleased to have you here?’ And so Lady Cumnor really was, in spite of the continual lectures which she gave ‘Clare,’ and which poor Mrs. Gibson turned under as helplessly as the typical worm.  Still it was something to have a countess to scold her; and that pleasure would endure when the worry was past.  And then Lady Harriet petted her more than usual to make up for what she had to go through in the convalescent’s room; and Lady Cuxhaven talked sense to her, with dashes of science and deep thought intermixed, which was very flattering, although generally unintelligible; and Lord Cumnor, good-natured, good-tempered, kind, and liberal, was full of gratitude to her for her kindness in coming to see Lady Cumnor, and his gratitude took the tangible shape of a haunch of venison, to say nothing of lesser game.  When she looked back upon her visit as she drove home in the solitary grandeur of the Towers’ carriage, there had been but one great enduring rub—­Lady Cumnor’s crossness—­and she chose to consider Cynthia as the cause of that, instead of seeing the truth, which had been so often set before her by the members of her ladyship’s family, that it took its origin in her state of health.  Mrs. Gibson did not exactly mean to visit this one discomfort upon Cynthia, nor did she quite mean to upbraid her daughter for conduct as yet unexplained, and which might have some justification; but, finding her quietly sitting in the drawing-room, she sate down despondingly in her own little easy chair, and in reply to Cynthia’s quick, pleasant greeting of,—­

’Well, mamma, how are you?  We did not expect you so early!  Let me take off your bonnet and shawl!’ she replied dolefully,—­

‘It has not been such a happy visit that I should wish to prolong it.’  Her eyes were fixed on the carpet, and her face was as irresponsive to the welcome offered as she could make it.