in very good trim.  When Esther came Lily cheerfully took the trouble of her own small decorations, considering it as her payment for the pleasure of having Esther in the house.  Emily, however, neglected the useful ’stitch in time,’ till even ‘nine’ were unavailing.  She soon found herself compelled to buy new ready-made articles, and expected Lilias to do the same.  But Lilias demurred, for she was too wise to think it necessary to ruin herself in company with Emily, and thus the two sisters were no longer dressed alike.  A constant fear tormented Emily lest she should disgrace Lady Rotherwood, or be considered by some stranger as merely a poor relation of the great people, and not as the daughter of the gentleman of the oldest family in the county.  She was, therefore, anxious to be perfectly fashionable, and not to wear the same things too often, and in her disinterested desire to maintain the dignity of the family the allowance which she received at Christmas melted away in her hands.

Lily, though exempt from this folly, was not in a satisfactory state of mind.  She was drawn off from her duties by a kind of spell.  It was not that she liked Florence’s society better than her home pursuits.

Florence was indeed a very sweet-tempered and engaging creature; but her mind was not equal to that of Lilias, and there was none of the pleasure of relying upon her, and looking up to her, which Lilias had learnt to enjoy in the company of her brother Claude, and of Alethea Weston.  It was only that Lily’s own mind had been turned away from her former occupations, and that she did not like to resume them.  She had often promised herself to return to her really useful studies, and her positive duties, as soon as her brothers were gone; but day after day passed and nothing was done, though her visits to the cottages and her lessons to Phyllis were often neglected.  Her calls at Devereux Castle took up many afternoons.  Florence continually lent her amusing books, her aunt took great interest in her music, and she spent much time in practising.  The mornings were cold and dark, and she could not rise early, and thus her time slipped away, she knew not how, uselessly and unsatisfactorily.  The three younger ones were left more to themselves, and to the maids.  Jane sought for amusement in village gossip, and the little ones, finding the nursery more agreeable than the deserted drawing-room, made Esther their companion.

Mr. Mohun had, at this time, an unusual quantity of business on his hands; he saw that the girls were not going on well, but he had reasons for not interfering at present, and he looked forward to Eleanor’s visit as the conclusion of their trial.

‘I cannot think,’ said Marianne Weston one day to her sister, ’why Mr. Mohun comes here so often.’

Alethea told her he had some business with their mamma, and she thought no more of the matter, till she was one day questioned by Jane.  She was rather afraid of Jane, who, as she thought, disliked her, and wished to turn her into ridicule; so it was with no satisfaction that she found herself separated from the others in the course of a walk, and submitted to a cross-examination.