"I'm sure that either Mary Anne or Cary," broke in mamma, "would willingly give up her room." "Oh! delighted,--but too happy too oblige," cried we together. But Lord George stopped us. "That's the worst of it; she is so timid, so fearful of giving trouble, and especially when she is not acquainted, that I 'm certain she could not bring herself to occasion all this inconvenience." "But it will be none whatever. If she could be content with one room--" "One room!" cried he,--"one room is a palace at such a moment But that is precisely the value of the sacrifice." We assured him, again and again, that we thought nothing of it; that the opportunity of serving any friend of his--not to speak of one so worthy of every attention--was an ample recompense for such a trifling inconvenience. We became eloquent and entreating, and at last, I actually believe, we had to importune him at least to give the lady herself the choice of accepting our proposition. "Be it so," cried he, suddenly; and, starting up, hurried downstairs to convey our message. When he had left the room, we sat staring at each other, as if profoundly conscious that we had done something very magnanimous and very splendid, and yet at the same time not quite satisfied that we had done it in the right way. Mamma suggested that papa ought to have gone down himself with our offer. _He_, on the contrary, said that it was _her_ business, or that of one of the girls. James was of opinion that a civil note would be the proper thing. "Mrs. Kenny James Dodd, of Dodsborough, presents her respectful compliments," and so forth,--thus giving us the opportunity of mentioning our ancestral seat, not to speak of the advantage of rounding off a monosyllabic name with a sonorous termination. James defended his opinion so successfully that I actually fetched my writing-desk and opened it on the breakfast-table, when Lord George flung wide the door, and announced "Mrs. Gore Hampton."