If she had done it on purpose, she could not have better freshly

riveted his chains. That pensive simplicity, with the smile of heartfelt

satisfaction at giving pleasure to anybody, were more and more engaging

as her spirits recovered their tone, and the most unsatisfactory

consideration which Rachel carried away that evening was that Alexander

Keith being really somewhat the senior, if the improvement in Fanny's

spirits were really owing to his presence, the objection on the score

of age would not hold. But, thought Rachel, Colonel Keith being her own,

what united power they should have over Fanny. Pooh! she had by no means

resigned herself to have him, though for Fanny's sake it might be well,

and was there not a foolish prejudice in favour of married women, that

impeded the usefulness of single ones? However, if the stiff, dry old

man approved of her for her fortune's sake, that would be quite reason

enough for repugnance.

The stiff old man was the pink of courtesy, and paid his respects in due

order to his brother's friends the next day, Colin attending in his old

aide-de-camp fashion. It was curious to see them together. The old

peer was not at all ungracious to his brother; indeed, Colin had been

agreeably surprised by an amount of warmth and brotherliness that he

had never experienced from him before, as if old age had brought a

disposition to cling to the remnant of the once inconveniently large

family, and make much of the last survivor, formerly an undesirable

youngest favourite, looked on with jealous eyes and thwarted and

retaliated on for former petting, as soon as the reins of government

fell from the hands of the aged father. Now, the elder brother was kind

almost to patronizing, though evidently persuaded that Colin was a gay

careless youth, with no harm in him, but needing to be looked after; and

as to the Cape, India, and Australia being a larger portion of the world

than Gowanbrae, Edinburgh, and London, his lordship would be incredulous

to the day of his death.

He paid his formal and gracious visits at Myrtlewood and the Homestead,

and then supposed that his brother would wish him to call upon "these

unfortunate ladies." Colin certainly would have been vexed if he had

openly slighted them; but Alison, whom the brothers overtook on their

way into Mackarel Lane, did not think the colonel looked in the most

felicitous frame of mind, and thought the most charitable construction

might be that he shared her wishes that she could be a few minutes in

advance; to secure that neither Rose's sports nor Colinette's toilette

were very prominent.

All was right, however; Ermine's taste for the fitness of things had

trained Rose into keeping the little parlour never in stiff array, but

also never in a state to be ashamed of, and she herself was sitting in

the shade in the garden, whither, after the first introduction, Colin

and Rose brought seats; and the call, on the whole, went off extremely

well. Ermine naver let any one be condescending to her, and conducted

the conversation with her usual graceful good breeding, while the

colonel, with Rose on his knee, half talked to the child, half listened

and watched.




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