Soon after this, Lady de Courcy began to be not very well pleased in the matter. She took it into her head that Miss Dunstable was sometimes almost inclined to laugh at her; and on one or two occasions it almost seemed as though Frank was joining Miss Dunstable in doing so. The fact indeed was, that Miss Dunstable was fond of fun; and, endowed as she was with all the privileges which two hundred thousand pounds may be supposed to give to a young lady, did not very much care at whom she laughed. She was able to make a tolerably correct guess at Lady de Courcy's plan towards herself; but she did not for a moment think that Frank had any intention of furthering his aunt's views. She was, therefore, not at all ill-inclined to have her revenge on the countess. "How very fond your aunt is of you!" she said to him one wet morning, as he was sauntering through the house; now laughing, and almost romping with her--then teasing his sister about Mr Moffat--and then bothering his lady-cousins out of all their propriety. "Oh, very!" said Frank: "she is a dear, good woman, is my Aunt de Courcy." "I declare she takes more notice of you and your doings than of any of your cousins. I wonder they ain't jealous." "Oh! they're such good people. Bless me, they'd never be jealous." "You are so much younger than they are, that I suppose she thinks you want more of her care." "Yes; that's it. You see she's fond of having a baby to nurse." "Tell me, Mr Gresham, what was it she was saying to you last night? I know we had been misbehaving ourselves dreadfully. It was all your fault; you would make me laugh so." "That's just what I said to her." "She was talking about me, then?" "How on earth should she talk of any one else as long as you are here? Don't you know that all the world is talking about you?" "Is it?--dear me, how kind! But I don't care a straw about any world just at present but Lady de Courcy's world. What did she say?" "She said you were very beautiful--" "Did she?--how good of her!" "No; I forgot. It--it was I that said that; and she said--what was it she said? She said, that after all, beauty was but skin deep--and that she valued you for your virtues and prudence rather than your good looks." "Virtues and prudence! She said I was prudent and virtuous?" "Yes." "And you talked of my beauty? That was so kind of you. You didn't either of you say anything about other matters?" "What other matters?" "Oh! I don't know. Only some people are sometimes valued rather for what they've got than for any good qualities belonging to themselves intrinsically." "That can never be the case with Miss Dunstable; especially not at Courcy Castle," said Frank, bowing easily from the corner of the sofa over which he was leaning.