"And about Wareborough? How did you get on there? Mary Dalrymple was very kind, of course, and made a great deal of you and all that, I have no doubt. But oh, Roma, how unlucky it was about Beauchamp's turning up there. I cannot tell you how provoked I was." A look of annoyance came over her face as she spoke, heightening for the time the slight resemblance she bore to her brother. It was not a striking resemblance. She was a small, fair woman, considerably less good-looking than one would have expected to find Beauchamp Chancellor's sister. Her figure, of its kind, was good, and shown to advantage by her dress, which was always unexceptionable in make and material, delicately but not obtrusively suggestive of her early widowhood. She hardly looked her age, which was thirty-one, for her skin was of the fine smooth kind which is slow to wrinkle deeply; her eyes of the "innocent-blue" shade, her hair soft and abundant. Roma did not at once reply; but looking up suddenly, Mrs Eyrecourt saw that her sister-in-law was smiling. "What are you laughing at, Roma?" she asked, with some asperity. "It's very strange that you should begin to laugh when I am speaking seriously." "I beg your pardon, Gertrude--I do, really," said Roma, apologetically. "I didn't mean to smile. I was only thinking how curiously like each other you and Beauchamp are when you are not pleased. Oh, he was _so_ cross to me the other night at the Dalrymples'! Only to poor me! He was more charming than ever to every one else. And it was all through trying to please you, Gertrude. I wouldn't dance with him on account of your letter, and whether you believe it of me or not, I do hate making myself disagreeable--even to Beauchamp." There was a curious undertone of real feeling in her last words. Gertrude felt sorry for her, and showed it in her manner. "I don't want you to make yourself disagreeable, Roma. I only want to save real disagreeables in the future. It is both of you I think of. Certainly this infatuation of Beauchamp's _is_ most unlucky; and though you say you are so sure of yourself, still, you know, dear, he _is_ very attractive, and--"