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Lady Teht of

going, or even supposed that any one could iine she could Indeed, if

she had accepted it, it would have been a decisive encouragearded her refusal, in its broad

black edges, as a further clenching of the reply to his addresses

Bessie was to be chaperoned by Mrs Curtis As to Rachel, she had

resolved against youthful gaieties for this winter and all others, but

she felt that to show any reluctance to accept the Keith invitation

ht be a contradiction to her indifference to the Colonel, and so

construed by her mother, Grace, and Bessie So all she held out for was,

that as she had no money to spend upon adornments, her blue silk dinner

dress, and her birthday wreath, should andher finery, she was far too impressive and decided for

Mrs Curtis to venture upon such presuh her part for an evening, and indeed the county was pretty well

accustomed to Miss Rachel Curtis's ball-room ways, and took the-roo, and the further one ending in a conservatory,

that likewise extended along the end of the entrance hall and

dining-room The small library, where Colonel Keith usually sat, became

the cloak-roohters