"Certainly. Tell the woman to send all items at once here. Really, this has worried me." Lady Lushington did not notice that, notwithstanding all Annie's apparent coolness, there were additional spots of colour on her cheeks, and that her hand shook a little as she penned the necessary words. Suppose the majestic Mrs Priestley recognised her handwriting! There was no help for it now, however, and any delay in grappling with the evil hour was welcome. The letter was written and laid with several others on the table. Lady Lushington remarked after a minute's pause: "I may as well confide in you, Miss Brooke, that nothing ever astonished me more than Mabel's success in gaining that literature prize; for you know, my dear, between you and me, she is not at all clever." "Oh, how you mistake her!" said Annie, with enthusiasm. "Dear Mabel does not care to talk about her deepest feelings or about those magnificent thoughts which visit her mind." "She has no thoughts, my dear, except the silliest," said Mabel's aunt, with a laugh. "Oh, how you wrong her! Why, she is a poetess." "A what?" said Lady Lushington. "She writes poems." "Nonsense! I don't believe you." "I can show them to you." "Pray do not; I would not read them for the world. I class all rhymes as jingles. I detest them. Even Will Shakespeare could never gain my attention for more than half-a-minute." "Nevertheless, Mabel is clever, and her prize essay on `Idealism' was undoubtedly the best in the school." "Yes? Wonders will never cease," remarked Lady Lushington; "but, to tell you the truth, I was more annoyed than pleased when she got the prize. I did not want her to leave school for a year, and I only made that rash promise believing it to be quite impossible for me to fulfil. However, now I must make the best of it; and as, thank goodness! she does not pose as a genius, and is a fine, handsome girl, I have no doubt I shall get her married before long." "Oh, Lady Lushington! Could you bear to part with her?" "Indeed I could, my dear, to a good husband. I mean by that a man in a high position in society." Annie was silent, looking prettily down. Lady Lushington glanced at her and noticed the charming contour of her face. "If only her eyelashes were a little darker and her eyebrows more marked, she would be a sweetly pretty girl," she thought. But the lack of distinction in her face was not apparent at that moment. "You will have a good husband yourself some day, Miss Brooke; and if ever I can help you to bring such a desirable matter about, you may rely on me." "Oh, thank you, thank you!" said Annie. "Poor little me! But I am only an orphan with just one dear uncle and little or no money. Lady Lushington, I am so happy here, and you are so very kind to me."