Henrietta's--for you know I seldom visit--are all very nice people, and
they will pay every respect to my brother's wife. Do not be frightened
at them."

"I was not frightened," replied Mrs. Grey, more inclined to smile than
to be offended at this earnest condolence. "What troubled me was quite
another thing."

"Henrietta. perhaps?" with an uneasy glance up the staircase. "But my
dear, you must not mind Henrietta; she means well. You don't know
how busy she has been all the morning, arranging every thing. 'For,'
says she to me, 'since your brother has married again, we must make
the best of it, and introduce his wife into society, and be very kind to
her.' And I am sure I hope we are,"

"Thank you," said Christian, somewhat haughtily, till touched by the
mild deprecation of that foolish, gentle face, so gentle as half to atone
for its foolishness.

"You see, my dear, your marriage was much worse to her than to me,
because Mrs. Grey was her own sister, while Arnold is my brother.
And all I want in the wide world is to see my brother happy. I hope it
isn't wrong of me, but I don't think quite as dear Henrietta does. I
always felt that dear Arnold might marry any body he pleased, and I
should be sure to love her if only she made him happy. But, hush! I
hear somebody coming."

And the poor little lady composed herself into some pretense of
indifference when Christian rose from the windowsill, and stood like a
queen--or rather like what she tried to say to herself, so as to keep up