concern. She had asked no questions when he went away, and seemed quite
at ease regarding the future.

"People will always lend him money, and then he is lucky with it," she
said.

She bore the catechising very well. Her replies were frequently rather
trying to her interlocutor, but she never seemed troubled, or ashamed of
any thing she had to say; and she wore, from first to last, that
inscrutably innocent and indifferent little air.

She did not even show confusion when Lady Theobald, on going away, made
her farewell comment:--

"You are a very fortunate girl to own such jewels," she said, glancing
critically at the diamonds in her ears; "but if you take my advice, my
dear, you will put them away, and save them until you are a married
woman. It is not customary, on this side of the water, for young girls to
wear such things--particularly on ordinary occasions. People will think
you are odd."

"It is not exactly customary in America," replied Octavia, with her
undisturbed smile. "There are not many girls who have such things.
Perhaps they would wear them if they had them. I don't care a very great
deal about them, but I mean to wear them."

Lady Theobald went away in a dudgeon.

"You will have to exercise your authority, Belinda, and _make_ her put
them away," she said to Miss Bassett. "It is absurd--besides being