As must be expected, however, in all human affairs, there came by-and-by tiny clouds to temper the brilliance of Eugenia's sky, slight pricks of disappointment to make themselves felt amidst the luxuriance and fragrance of the flowers she had grasped so eagerly. The first of these that she perceived was the want of cordiality in Gerald Thurston's manner when he, as he could not avoid, congratulated her on her engagement. She had looked forward with some eagerness to seeing him, had counted upon his sympathy, had even rehearsed a little girlish speech referring gratefully to his kindness to her in her trouble, her hope that he would extend his friendship to Beauchamp as well as continue it to herself. But when she met him, and heard his few formal words of good wishes, her pretty expressions died upon her lips; she felt herself blushing painfully, and demeaned herself--at least so she afterwards declared to Sydney--as if she had done something she was ashamed of and that he was reproaching her. And Sydney did not smooth her ruffled plumage. Eugenia's complete misapprehension of Gerald irritated her sometimes almost unreasonably, and just now the irritation was increased by pity for the new disappointment she imagined him to be enduring. So when Eugenia complained of Mr Thurston's "brusqueness" and coldness, Sydney answered stiffly and unsympathisingly that she thought it a pity Eugenia judged people so much by "mere outside manner." "You have known Gerald long enough to know how good and true he is, and how interested in our happiness. I don't see that one's friends are obliged to go into ecstasies over the news of one's engagement. Marrying, in nine cases out of ten, is the death of all previous friendships and connections." "But it should not be, it need not be," interposed Eugenia, eagerly. "It will not be so with me, you will see, Sydney," and had it been any other day in the world than the one it was--the eve of Sydney's marriage, the last, the very last of the sisterly life together in the old home--she would have felt inclined to reproach her for her want of faith, her commonplace axioms. As if marriages in general could furnish grounds for prophecy as to the probable influence of marriage on the wife of a Beauchamp Chancellor! The next morning's post brought disappointment Number 2, in the shape of a letter from the hero himself.