in spite of his 'not being exactly handsomelike about the physgognomy,' as she remarked to one of the younger maids, who much preferred Peregrine Orme.
Coming away from this last interview with Mrs. Baker, Lady Staveley interrupted her son and Sophia Furnival in the back drawing-room, and began to feel that her solicitude for her children would be almost too much for her. Why had she asked that nasty girl to her house, and why would not the nasty girl go away? As for her going away, there was no present hope, for it had been arranged that she should stay for another fortnight. Why could not the Fates have been kind, and have allowed Felix Graham and Miss Furnival to fall in love with each other? 'I can never make a daughter of her if he does marry her,' Lady Staveley said to herself, as she looked at them.
Augustus looked as though he were detected, and stammered out some question about his mother and the carriage; but Miss Furnival did not for a moment lose her easy presence of mind. 'Lady Staveley,' said she, 'why does not your son go and hunt, or shoot, or fish, instead of staying in the house all day? It seems to me that his time is so heavy on his hands that he will almost have to hang himself.'
'I'm sure I can't tell,' said Lady Staveley, who was not so perfect an actor as her guest.
'I do think gentlemen in the house in the morning always look so unfortunate. You have been endeavouring to make yourself agreeable, but you know you've been yawning.'
'Do you suppose then that men never sit still in the morning?' said Augustus.
'Oh, in their chambers, yes; or on the bench, and perhaps also behind counters; but they very seldom do so in a drawing-room. You have been fidgeting about with the poker till you have destroyed the look of the fireplace.'
'Well, I'll go and fidget upstairs with Graham,' said he; and so he left the room.
'Nasty, sly girl,' said Lady Staveley to herself as she took up her work and sat herself down in her own chair.
Augustus did go up to his friend and found him reading letters. There was no one else in the room, and the door when Augustus reached it was properly closed. 'I think I shall be off to-morrow, old boy,' said Felix.
'Then I think you'll do no such thing,' said Augustus. 'What's in the wind now?'
'The doctor said this morning that I could be moved without danger.'
'He said that it might possibly be done in two or three days—that was all. What on earth makes you so impatient? You've
