free trade."

Sophia ceased to take the initiative. She still endeavoured to respect
the understanding of a girl of whom she had heard that when her father's
fortunes were at a low ebb she had retrieved them by good management and
personal industry--a girl, too, who through years of toil had preserved
sprightliness and perfect gentility. What though this gentility was
somewhat cramped by that undue importance given to trifles which is
often the result of a remote life; it was still a very lovely thing, a
jewel shining all the more purely for its iron setting of honest labour.
Sophia fought with the scorn that was thrusting itself into her heart as
she listened when Miss Bennett now talked in a charming way about the
public characters and incidents which interested her.

"I wish for your sake, Miss Rexford," she said, "that some of the Royal
family would come out again. The only time that there is any real
advantage in being in a colony is when some of them come out; for here,
you know, they take notice of every one."

"One would still be on the general level then," said Sophia, smiling.

"Well, I don't know. It makes one feel distinguished, you know, in spite
of that. Now, when the Prince was out, he stopped here for a night, and
we had a ball. It was simply delightful! He danced with us all--I mean
with all who could claim to be ladies, and indeed with some who could
not; but how could _he_ discriminate? There was a man called Blake, who
kept a butcher's shop here then--you may have noticed we haven't such a
thing as a butcher's shop in the village now, Miss Rexford?"

"Indeed I have. It seems so odd."