Culroyd's marriage made a difference, of course. He was a devoted brother, according to his lights; and I think she is missing him greatly. And one wedding, like one funeral, leads to another. _You_ have seen it again and again! The _trousseau_, the presents, the letters, the general excitement, the very contagion of two young lovers... All this coming at a time when she seemed _deliberately_ to be making herself as unhappy as possible... I knew there would be a strong reaction, I was only afraid that she might throw herself at my Will's head and that he might be unable to say "no". I kept him away from the Hall as much as I could. If he _really_ wanted her, he could drop the handkerchief--I felt--in his own good time... "Your turn will come," I told her. "Oh, I don't care who I marry," she answered. "I suppose I shall need a home when I'm turned out of here; and, if so, I'd better get to work while I'm still young enough to attract men. I'm open to any offer; the man mustn't be _too_ hopeless a cad, that's all." This mock-desperation would have been very cynical if it had not been so unconvincing. I said nothing at the time; but, when I had a moment alone with her poor mother, I _did_ feel it my duty to say candidly that it was time _some_body did _some_thing to change the girl's thoughts. Ruth agreed, but in a helpless, hopeless way that always makes me wonder how Brackenbury has put up with her for so many years. In her opinion, Phyllida was pining for her young soldier and would continue to pine, so far as I could gather, until she found him. "Is it not better," I asked, "to face facts? Colonel Butler was certainly attracted, but he realized in time that he had hardly the means or the position to qualify him as husband to Phyllida and son-in-law to Brackenbury. Very properly he made himself scarce; and nothing in life became him so well as his leaving of it. You say he has not written? He won't write;--and I respect him for it. But, goodness me, I hope you're not going to encourage Phyllida to think that she's broken her heart in a hopeless passion. If you won't send her _right_ away (as, you will have the justice to remember, I felt it my duty to suggest at the outset), let her come to me for a few weeks and let me see if London can't provide something to turn her thoughts." The trouble _was_, if you will promise not to tell any one I said so, that Phyllida's _vanity_ was hurt. When she was running after this young man, there was so much publicity that people began to wonder; they became spied on and whispered about; when he was summoned to Brackenbury, every one felt that _now_ they were going to make certain of him; when he left before his time, without saying a _word_ to her, it was naturally assumed that he had run away. Rather than believe that any man could weary of her charms, Phyllida will convince herself that I turned young Butler against her... Hence this terrible bitterness...