"Only to the Folly and back. But I sauntered about, looking at the flowers, and that tires one far worse than bearing on steadily." "Ay. Lay yourself down on that couch at full length, lad. Mrs. Hastings is here, I see. And--was that other Charlotte Pain?" "Yes," replied George, disregarding the injunction to lie down. "Did she come from the Folly in that guise?--Nothing on her head but those flowers? I could see no bonnet even in her hand." "It is to be sent after her. Janet"--passing quickly from the other matter--"she has come to dine with us." Miss Godolphin turned in amazement, and fixed her eyes reproachfully on George. "To dine with us?--to-day? Have you been asking her?" "Janet, I could not well help myself. When I got to Lady Godolphin's Folly, I found Charlotte alone: Mrs. Verrall has departed for town. To break through my engagement there, I proposed that Charlotte should come here." "Nay," said Janet, "your engagement was already broken, if Mrs. Verrall was away." "Not so. Charlotte expected me to remain." "Herself your sole entertainer?" "I suppose so." A severe expression arose to Miss Godolphin's lips, and remained there. "It is most unsuitable, Charlotte Pain's being here to-day," she resumed. "The changes which have taken place render our meeting with Mrs. Briscow a sad one; no stranger ought to be at table. Least of all, Charlotte Pain. Her conversation is at times unfeminine." "How can you say so, Janet?" he involuntarily exclaimed. "Should she launch into some of her favourite topics, her horses and her dogs, it will sound unfeminine to Mrs. Briscow's ears. In her young days--in _my_ days also, George, for the matter of that--these subjects were deemed more suitable to men's lips than to young women's. George, had your mother lived, it would have been a sore day to her, the one that brought the news that you had fixed your mind on Charlotte Pain." "It was not so to my father, at any rate," George could not help saying. "And was it possible that you did not see how Charlotte Pain played her cards before your father?" resumed Janet. "Not a word, that could offend his prejudices as a refined gentleman, did she ever suffer herself to utter. I saw; if you did not." "You manage to see a great deal that the rest of us don't see, Janet. Or you fancy that you do." "It is no fancy, lad. I would not like to discourage a thing that you have set your heart upon; I would rather go a mile out of my way than do it: but I stand next door to a mother to you, and I can but warn you that you will repent it, if you ever suffer Charlotte Pain to be more to you than she now is." George rose. "Set your mind at rest, Janet. It has never been my intention to marry Charlotte Pain: and--so far as I believe at present--it never will be."