Belles and Ringers

a great dislike to an exposed situation; and either a supreme contempt for the science of sanitation, or a confused idea that water could be induced to run uphill, and so, not bothering his he

convenience, and without any regard to architectural design. It was surrounded by thick shrubberies, in which the laurels were broken by dense masses of rho

although as she grew older she unfortunately, as some of us do, grew considerably heavier; and when no longer able to expend her superfluous energies in the hunting-field, she developed into a somewhat ambitious and pushing woman. In this latter r?le I do not think she pleased Cedric Bloxam quite so well. She insisted upon his standing for the county. Bloxam demurred at first, and, as usual, in the end Lady Mary had her own way. He threw himself into the fight with all the pugnacity of his disposition, and, while his blood was up, revelled in the fray. He could speak to the farmers in a blunt homely way, which suited them; and they brought him in as one of the Conservative Members

ch, Cedric is always bored with London. The girls are growing up, and how are they ever to get properly married if they don't get their season in town, poor things! I began by suggesting maste

ld her intimates, her chief object in life now was to see Blanche, the younger, suitably provided for. Lady Mary was in her way a stanch and devoted mother. Her duty towards her daughters, she considered, terminated when she had once s

e guest at scores of country houses. Nothing would have been more difficult than to explain why it was that Pansey Cottrell should be as essential to a fashionable dinner party as the epergne. Nothing more puzzling to account for than why his volunteering his presence in a country house should be always deemed a source of gratulation to the hostess. He was a man of no particular birth and no particular conversational powers; and unless due to his being thoroughly au courant with all the very latest gossip of the London world, his success can only be put down as past understanding. Neophytes who did not

ly striking about him but a pair of keen dark eyes, he sits in the window, lis

any other middle-aged matrons)-"I tell you, Pansey," she repeated, "it is all a mistake; the majority of young men in our world do not marry whom they please: they may think so, but i

understand your illustration; and in this case Miss Blanche is of

lways talking of Shakespeare's 'knowledge of human nature,' more especially those who never read him. Why don't they take a leaf out of his book? Do you suppose Beatri

ay Leonato to this Ben

auchamp of whom you s

cham

Lionel Beauchamp is the eldest son, a good-looking young fellow, with a h

do you e

e seemed rather struck with Blanche in London, so I asked him down here for the

u think in these cases it is just as well to

try house, and when she is the only good-looking one, has it all

lar of watering-places, Commonstone," observed Cottrell;

p riding parties, plan excursions to Trotbury, and so on. Just the people in the house, yo

l. "I understand. I congratulate you on your dipl

ld-fashioned parson, thank goodness, with no

t an uncommon pretty g

, when I was stayin

lled her a good-looking girl. She was more than that; she might most certainly have been called a very good-looking girl of the thoroughly Saxon type-tall

attention to the bell? Come to lunch, mamma, please; for we have been play

sisted, besides the family and Mr. Cottrell, of a Mr. and Mrs. Evesham and their two daughters-"such amiable girls, you know," as Lady Mary alw

ch a dusting at lawn tennis this morning that no amount of brown sh

ood enough to take the conceit out of you. But what do all you good people propose doing with yourselves th

rother in the army. She don't quite recollect his regiment; and beyond that it is in England, she does not know precisely w

t I am told, Lady Mary, it is a pretty walk to the camp, and that

sorb as much ozone as possible while we are down here, in order to fit

" whispered Pansey Cottrell, who happ

e in this case taking the form of her eldest son. Upon an adjournment, Jim Bloxam strongly urged that those of the party who were not for a tramp to Rockcliffe should drive into Commonstone, and ascertain if there was anything going on that was likely to be worth their attention. In the

assist at all our Easter revelries. Let me introduce you to my cousin, Sylla Chipchase, just come down to spend a month with us." And the

behind the scenes as he was, that had been so nearly too much for his risible faculties that he dared not hazard another. As he advanced to shake hands with Miss Sylla, he felt that the Fates had been even more unkind to Lady Mary than she could as yet be possibly aware of; for he remembered at Hogden's that Mi

shook hands. "I told you in Suffolk, if you remember, that in

aily. "We had great fun together in Suffolk, and I hope we are going to have great fun together in Fernshi

Miss Sylla; but we poor Londoners have come down for rest after a spell of hot rooms and late hours, preparatory to encountering

reply; "we have come

ed the elder Miss Chipchase. "You must come to the Commonstone ball on Easter

"Did you ever know me fail you in valsing? and are not the soldiers of to-day every bit as much 'all there' as the sailor

Chipchase, "I recollec

but we could make noth

und to be there. Remem

' for the next dance we

v

Squire; "only you really must moderat

t a big lunch at the camp, with athletic sports afterwards,

irement for rest and quietness,"

you we have come down here for a little quiet. I am very glad, for your sake, that you h

d," she continued, dropping her voice; "and you know what a difference it makes to us to be able

on't get a little quiet now, I shall be having dear Bl

The two girls were sworn friends, and Laura Chipchase had more than once envied Blanche's physique when she had m

l not see you at the C

a, with whom Jim had en

es you think I sh

airing of your shattered constitutions," replied the youn

far as that goes; but to do honour to the début of so fair a stranger in the land, I think Miss Sylla,

fun it would be, the really going to

anxieties of getting back again. It's always so much

ng to do this afternoon, Blan

king up to the camp and

. Sartoris's brother,"

Mrs. Sartoris? I wonder whether we know him

I have a brother in the army, and he pretends that

be amusing!" said Miss Sylla. "I ne

dies get your hats on, the better. We'll find Mrs. Sartoris's brother, launch Miss Sylla here in military circles, and return

out with an Easter ball before? Todborough generally is as dull as ditch-water at this time of year. Something, it is true, may be going on at the camp; but as we know nob