Who 19 THE LOVED one! 51 



" oil, Constance ! " 'whispered the poor girl in an agony of 

 suspense, " pray tell me, dearest Constance ! — your secret shall 

 never pass my lips ; on my honour, nothing shall wring it from 

 me!" 



" You may guess, dear Blanche, but I dare not tell you tho 

 name. Yet," putting her lips close to her car, she whispered, 

 ** the person is in this room." 



" Caroline 1 " inquired Blanche. 



« No." 



« Miss Eaymond ? " 



« Certainly not." 



" Then it must be one of the Misses Rollestou f ** 



*' Neither of them, my dear. Try again." 



" Miss GAvynne ? " 



" Yery complimentary to William's taste, Blanche ; but you 

 must be quite sure she is not the object of his choice." 



"Who, then, can it be, Constance, as there is only Aunt 

 Gordon and myself left, of the unmarried ladies, in this 

 room f 



"Most likely Aunt Gordon, my love," replied her friend, 

 looking slyly and archly in her face ; " my brother, you know, 

 is always very attentive to her." 



" Oh, nonsense, Constance ! you are joking now, and laugh- 

 ing to think me so credulous." 



" I never was more serious in my life, Blanche ; the choice 

 rests between Aunt Gordon and yourself I must not compro- 

 mise myself by saying more, except that, however amiable, I 

 know William would never marry a widow. But here comes 

 Selina." 



" Well, children," she exclaimed, " what treason are you 

 two girls concocting by yourselves in this snug corner? 

 Plotting how you can be revenged on that arch-fiend, Dick 

 Yernon, for his insolent behaviour to Blanche at dinner ? 

 What was he saying, my dear, to cause such angry looks to 

 flash from those soft, dove-like eyes 1 " 



" His remarks are so impertinent sometimes, that I cannot 

 refrain, Selina, from exhibiting some resentment." 



" And quite proper, too, my dear girl ; it is very necessart* 

 for our sex to show men that thus far they may go, but na 

 farther. Want of dignity and self-respect will always en- 

 courage such fops as Yernon to become troublesome, if no^ 

 something more ; so let him know, for the future, that he is t« 

 keep at a respectful distance." 



D 2 



