a dear little thing. It is worse than if she had died at home and ...'

'Yes, yes, I understand,' says Lady Dadford, 'but I would not give up
hope quite. I agree with the old proverb, "Hope on, hope ever," you
know. But tell me about Philippa? very happy, I suppose.'

'Perfectly happy,' replies Mabel. 'I can't imagine her as a wife, she's
such a child, but Jimmy is sure to take great care of her, and she has
come into some money by her mother's death.'

'Ah yes! it must have been a very happy release, a very happy release,'
and Lady Dadford shakes her head gravely. 'Did the dear child ever know
anything about it?'

'Yes, she overheard you talking to me that day in the summer, when we
went for a picnic, and she foolishly never said a word about it, but
made up her mind that she could not marry anyone, because she might go
out of her mind, so she refused Jimmy at first, and all this time she
has been making both him and herself miserable.'

'Miserable, who is miserable?' asks Lippa, coming in followed by
Dalrymple.

'No one, I hope,' says he, 'ah, Lady Dadford,' he continues on catching
sight of her, 'how do you do?'

'Better, thank you,' she replies, she always makes a point of answering
that foolish question, and invariably does so by saying 'Better'--she
has been better for so long that she must have reached a most perfect
state of health by now. 'Really much better; I came here to congratulate