atrocious."

"Make her!" faltered Miss Bassett.

"Yes, 'make her'--though I see you will have your hands full. I never
heard such romancing stories in my life. It is just what one might expect
from your brother Martin."

When Miss Bassett returned, Octavia was standing before the window,
watching the carriage drive away, and playing absently with one of her
ear-rings as she did so.

"What an old fright she is!" was her first guileless remark.

Miss Belinda quite bridled.

"My dear," she said, with dignity, "no one in Slowbridge would think of
applying such a phrase to Lady Theobald."

Octavia turned around, and looked at her.

"But don't you think she is one?" she exclaimed. "Perhaps I oughtn't to
have said it; but you know we haven't any thing as bad as that, even out
in Nevada--really!"

"My dear," said Miss Belinda, "different countries contain different
people; and in Slowbridge _we_ have our standards,"--her best cap
trembling a little with her repressed excitement.

But Octavia did not appear overwhelmed by the existence of the standards