THE next day Mrs. Randolph announced that the "young ladies," meaning Isabel and Mabel, would dine in the middle of the day, and do their lessons in their own room in the evening instead of coming down to the drawing-room. Now, although Mabel's experience of an evening in the drawing-room was anything but a pleasant one, she was by no means pleased at such an escape being provided for her. "Why should the usual arrangements be altered on my account?" she asked Isabel somewhat resentfully. But Isabel could only shake her head, for she was inwardly wondering why this change had been made. "Perhaps mamma thinks you would like it better," she said. But Mabel gave her head an indignant shake of denial. "No, no; it is not for that reason. But I can guess why it is done." And Mabel drew herself up and put on her haughtiest airs, as she reflected that she was to be treated as a poor relation. "Never mind, dear; we can be very happy here—happier, I think, than we should be in the drawing-room. I should like it better, I am sure, if—if—" And then Isabel hesitated, and the tears slowly filled her eyes. "Yes, I know," said Mabel indignantly. Isabel looked at her cousin through her tears. "Perhaps papa will come up here to us sometimes," she said. Mabel looked as though she did not understand. "Uncle come up here!" she said. "Why should he come?" "Because we are not to go down. It is the only thing I care for. I shall scarcely see papa all day else. For it is not often we have an evening in the library like we did last night." Mabel made no reply, but she felt a little ashamed of her anger, and she likewise hoped that her uncle would interfere and prevent this plan being carried out, as it would grieve Isabel so much. They were not to commence lessons for a few days, and so Isabel proposed that they should go and see her old nurse, who lived in a pretty cottage in the village. And when they were dressed for their walk, Isabel noticed for the first time that her cousin was always dressed in brown. "That is your favourite colour, I suppose," she said, looking rather deprecatingly at her own bright blue dress. "No, I hate it now." And she told Isabel of the unfortunate accident that had compelled her to wear two brown dresses. "I shall have nothing but these all the winter," she concluded, "and I hate them already." "Oh! But you need not do that, for they look very nice, I think." And as she spoke, Isabel formed a little plan in her own mind to reconcile her cousin to her dull-coloured dresses. The visit to nurse's cottage was always a pleasant one to Isabel, and now the old woman had some news to impart and gladly welcomed her young lady. "I'm going to have a lodger, my dear," she said, when Isabel had been duly presented and the usual inquiries had been made. "Oh, nurse, a lodger!" exclaimed Isabel.