A Mental Struggle, vi
" bonny lass," she had simply flushed a little and directed
a speaking glance towards her mother. It said as plainly
as possible, " There, did I not tell you so ?" She now
moves on to be introduced to the rest of the unwelcome
family. Even for one moment she cannot bring herself to
forget how intrusive is their visit, and how inconvenient
just now. She is only two or three years Patricia's senior,
but in thought and feeling she might almost be her mother.
When she remembers Sandie's incessant demands for money,
and the difficulty with which Tom's allowance is produced
every quarter, and all the long wearying struggle to battle
with growmg debt and keep up the old respectable stand
ing in the county, she almost hates these intruders for the
expenses their coming must entail.
What numerous dinners and evenings will have to be
given ! What incessant worry will be the result later on !
Probably her father will think it necessary to give a ball—
and all for what ? A set of objectionable people, who are
probably as illiterate as they are ill-bred, and who—abom¬
inable thought!—have made their oppressive riches by
cotton !
How could Patricia laugh so at that dreadful old man's
vulgarity? Miss Heriot, throwing up her head a little,
goes through her inclinations to the others with a mixture
of grace and hauteur that sits excellently upon her, render¬
ing her more than usually lovely, and causing Felix Brown
to lose his place in the languid conversation he is holding
with Sandie.
She does not so much as deign to raise her eyes when
bowing to Felix, so that he finds himself at full liberty to
make free use of his own. He marks the deliberate gravity
of her air, the coldness of the mouth that should be only
sweet. Her lids hide her eyes, as I have said, but he has
seen them once—in that first strange, silent glance—and it
is not likely he shall ever forget. The pure oval of her
face is before him, the fairness of her soft brown hair, the
inexpressible beauty of her complexion. She is pale, almost
remarkably so, but a reason for this pallor it would be im¬
possible to find in that " mystic " ivory face of hers. That
she is an exc^uisite thing both in form and feature, and that
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