Her ladyship made this proposal because she had no desire to entertain Mr Primrose, and she thought that if Penelope was to be taken from her patronage at all, the sooner it was done the better. What prodigious lies patrons and patronesses do tell when they profess to have no other object in view than the welfare and happiness of those whom they patronise. The Countess of Smatterton had been pleasing herself with the thought that she should be the talk of the season, as producing and exhibiting such a prodigy as Miss Primrose; and her ladyship, who was very partial to thanks, had been enjoying the anticipation of Penelope's overpowering gratitude for such distinguished and desirable patronage. But when all these pleasant and agreeable speculations seemed to burst like a bubble, then was her ladyship very angry and morose; and it was her wish to let Penelope know how deeply the disappointment was felt. There were no words however which her ladyship could use expressive of her feelings, and at the same time reproachful to Miss Primrose. It was not Penelope's fault that her father, after an absence of sixteen years, was now returned to England; nor would it have been proper and just ground of rebuke that the young lady should be pleased at the thought of seeing her father again, and be ready to yield herself to his direction in preference to undergoing the precarious patronage of the great. Lady Smatterton was not the less ill-humoured because she had no just ground on which she might utter the language of expostulation and reproof to Penelope, but on the contrary her anger was greater: for had there been an opportunity of indulging in language of reproach, that very circumstance would have been a relief and consolation. It was not therefore with a very agreeable intonation nor with the accompaniment of the most gracious of all possible looks that her ladyship proposed that Penelope should go to town to meet her father. But the poor girl being happy in her own thoughts, and unconscious of anything done or said by her that could be offensive to the Countess, was quite unobservant of the harshness of her ladyship's manner, and thought only of the substantial kindness of the proposal. To the suggestion of the Countess Penelope therefore replied with grateful and pleasurable vivacity: "Your ladyship is extremely kind; and, if it is not giving too much trouble, I should certainly be happy to take the earliest opportunity of meeting my father." "It will be giving no trouble," hastily and sharply replied her ladyship; "there are coaches to town almost every hour. They will tell you in the housekeeper's room what time the first coach goes."