“A very affectionate letter,” she remarked, having read between the lines of the effusive epistle and conceived for its writer an antagonism quite as violent as that which the writer evidently felt towards her. “Very affectionate,” he answered, drily. “It will cost me say two hundred pounds. And cheap at the price, perhaps, you’ll say.” Mrs. Abercarne coughed: comment was dangerous, and, indeed, unnecessary. Chris, who, without having seen the letter, made a judicious guess at the tenor of it, glanced from the one to the other. “You will think I have brought it on myself,” he went on, as he glanced once more at the letter before putting it in his pocket. “However, the woman is so amusing with her airs and her pretensions that I am doing the neighbourhood a good turn by providing it with a laughing-stock. A good-natured soul, too! I was in love with her once. There was less of her then.” Every word he uttered concerning the effusive cousin increased the aversion with which Mrs. Abercarne already regarded her. “I’ve asked them to come for the week,” he went on. “From Monday to Monday. You will give them what rooms you please, Mrs. Abercarne. There’ll be five of ’em--old couple, two grown-up daughters and a grown-up son. And you and Miss Christina will do your best to amuse them, I’m sure.” Mrs. Abercarne had grave doubts whether the visitors would allow themselves to be amused, but she did not say so. Mr. Bradfield did not like difficulties to be mentioned in the way of his whims, and it was one of his whims to fill his house at Christmas time, and another to play the patron to his poorer relations. She began to fear that the pleasant and independent time she and her daughter had enjoyed at Wyngham House was over. For Mrs. Graham-Shute--she knew by a fine woman’s instinct--would “interfere.” CHAPTER X. MRS. GRAHAM-SHUTE MANŒUVRES. It was ten days later that Mrs. Graham-Shute arrived, according to her promise, at Wyngham House. Chris, much against her will, was stationed, by Mr. Bradfield’s special request, to receive the visitors. Mrs. Abercarne tried to persuade him that he himself ought to meet such distinguished guests, but he laughed, and said “he couldn’t stand the old woman’s gush; if a reception by Miss Christina wasn’t good enough for them, they might do without one altogether, and be hanged to them.” So Christina amused herself at the piano until Mrs. Graham-Shute was announced. The girl came forward modestly to receive the new-comers, who were talking loudly as they entered. At the first moment she thought it was an affectation to put her out of countenance, but she soon found out that the Graham-Shutes never did anything without making four times as much noise over it as anybody else would have done. Thus, Mrs. Graham-Shute came in with rustling skirts and jingling bonnet ornaments, while Donald laughed in a deep bass voice, and entered with a tread as heavy as a dragoon’s.