there would be so very much danger of her
being converted? Master Frederick had gone
over unaccountable."

"I fancy it was love that first predisposed
him to conversion," said Margaret, sighing.

"Indeed, miss," said Dixon. "Well, I can
preserve myself from priests and from
churches; but love steals in unawares! I
think it's as well I refused to go."

Dixon had not so much to tell about the
Higginses. Her memory had an aristocratic
bias, and was very treacherous whenever she
tried to recall any circumstance connected
with those below her in life. Nicholas was
very well, she believed. He had been several
times at the house, asking for news of Miss
Margaret- the only person who ever did
ask. And Mary? Oh, of course was very
well- a great, stout, slatternly thing! She
did hear, or perhaps it was only a dream of
hers, though it would be strange if she had
dreamt of such people as the Higginses-
that Mary had gone to work at Mr. Thornton's
mill, because her father wished her to
learn how to cook; but what nonsense that
could mean she did not know. Margaret
rather agreed with her that the story was
incoherent enough to be only a dream.

Still it was pleasant to have some one now
with whom she could talk of Milton and
Milton people. Dixon was not over fond of
the subject, rather wishing to leave that part
of her life in shadow. She liked much more
to dwell upon speeches of Mr. Bell's, which
had suggested an idea to her of what was
really his intention- of making Margaret
his heiress. But her young lady gave her no
encouragement, nor in any way gratify Dixon's
insinuating inquiries, however disguised in
the form of suppositions and assertions.

Margaret had not heard any hint of this
Spanish plan until Dixon named it; and
now she was afraid of letting her mind run
too much upon it. It seemed an outlet from
the monotony of her present life, which was
growing to pall upon her. Mr. Bell would
be in town on law business at the time of
some of Edith's parties. She should see a
good deal of him then: doubtless he would tell
her if he had any such idea.

The course of Margaret's day was this: a
quiet hour or two before a late breakfast;
an endless discussion of plans at which,
although they none of them concerned her,
she was expected to be present, to give her
sympathy, if she could not assist with her
advice; an endless number of notes to write,
which Edith invariably left to her with many
caressing compliments as to the eloquence
du billet; a little play with Sholto, as he
returned from his walk; lunch; the care of
the children during the servants' dinner;
a drive or callers; and some dinner or evening
ing engagement for her aunt and cousins,
which left Margaret free, it is true, but rather
wearied with the inanity of the day, coming
on depressed spirits, and delicate health.

Edith piqued herself on her dinner parties;
"So different," as she said, "from the old
heavy dowager dinners under mamma's
régime; "and Mrs. Shaw seemed to take
exactly the same kind of torpid pleasure in
the very different arrangements and circle of
acquaintance which were to Captain and
Mrs. Lennox's taste, as she did in the
more formal and ponderous entertainments
which she herself used to give. Captain
Lennox was always extremely kind and
brotherly to Margaret. She was really
very fond of him; excepting when he was
anxiously attentive to Edith's dress and
appearance, with a view to her beauty
making a sufficient impression in the world.
Then all the latent Vashti in Margaret was
roused, and she could hardly keep herself
from expressing her feelings.

Mr. Henry Lennox returned from circuit;
and his frequent presence at his brother's
house, added a new element, not disagreeable
to Margaret. He appeared colder and
more brilliant than formerly; but there
were strong intellectual tastes, and much
and varied knowledge, which gave flavour to
the hitherto rather insipid conversation.
Margaret saw glimpses of a slight contempt
for both his brother and his sister-in-law,
and for their mode of life, which he seemed
to consider as frivolous and purposeless.
He once or twice spoke to his brother in
Margaret's presence, in a pretty sharp tone
of enquiry, as to whether he meant entirely to
relinquish his profession; and on Captain
Lennox's reply that he had quite enough to
live upon, she had seen Mr. Lennox's curl of
the lip as he said, "And is that all you
live for?" But the brothers were much
attached to each other, in the way that any
two persons are where the one is cleverer
and always leads the other, and this last is
patiently content to be led. Mr. Lennox
was pushing on in his profession; cultivating
with profound purpose all those connections
that might eventually be of service to him;
keen-sighted, far-seeing, intelligent, sarcastic,
and proud. Margaret had had one long
conversation with him, in Mr. Bell's presence,
about Frederick's case; and it was then that
Mr. Bell learnt, for the first time, from Margaret
of her brother's stolen visit to England;
and not even to him did she tell the
full details, which she had never breathed to
any one. Excepting that once, she had had
no settled conversation with Mr. Lennox.
She thought that he rather avoided being
left alone with her; she fancied she saw
traces of the feeling best described by the
expression of "owing her a grudge." And yet
when lie had spoken unusually well, or with
remarkable epigrammatic point, she felt that
his eye sought the expression of her countenance
first of all, if but for an instant; and
that, in the family intercourse which constantly
threw them together, her opinion was
the one to which he listened with a deference