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The elegant travelling carriage which bore Miss Wychwood from her birthplace, on the border of Somerset and Wiltshire, to her home in Bath, proceeded on its way at a decorous pace This was dictated by her coach known her from the day of her birth, almost thirty years before, drove her at the pace he considered proper, and turned a deaf ear to her requests to hi!' If she didn't knoas due to her consequence, as Miss Wychwood of Twynham Park, he did; and even if she was an old h he would never call her one, and had turned off the i him a rare box on the ear – he knew very well how his late hter to be driven about the country He had a pretty good idea, too, of what Sir Thomas would have felt had he known that Miss Wychwood had set up her own establishment in Bath, a few h to lend her countenance A mean bit, Miss Farlow, if ever he saw one: abble-grinder into the bargain It was a marvel to him that Miss Wychas able to endure her bibble-babble, for she wasn't short of a sheet, not by any means she wasn't!

The lady thus stiguiling the tedium of the journey with a streae, but it was unkind to describe her as an old Tough; and although she was certainly very thin it was unjust to liken her to a skinned rabbit She was a distant relation of Miss Wychwood, left by an ient circumstances; and when she had received a visit frorasped that she owed this unprecedented honour to his urgent wish to procure her services as chaperon to his sister she had seen in his unromantically stout person a Paladin sent by Providence to rescue her fro herself in debt She was not to know that her prospective charge had fought strenuously against having her, or any other female, foisted on to her; but when she had presented herself at Twynha her oldfashioned reticule, desperately anxious to please, and staring up into Miss Wychwood's face with frightened, pleading eyes, Miss Wychwood's heart had overcoht than to make the poor little creature welcome Lady Wychwood, quite unable to picture meek little Miss Farlow as a companion, and far less as a chaperon, to the lively Miss Wychwood, took the earliest opportunity that offered to beg her sister-in-law not to accept Miss Farlow's services without careful consideration 'I am persuaded, dearest, that you will find her a dreadful bore!' she said earnestly

'Yes, very likely, but I should find any chaperon a dreadful bore,' said Annis 'So, if I must have a chaperon – not that I see the least need of one, at e! – I'd as lief have her as any other At least she won't try to rule my house, or to dictate to hed suddenly, perceiving the doubtful look in Lady Wychwood's mild blue eyes 'Ah, you are afraid she won't exercise any control over ht: she won't! But nor would anyone else, you know'

'But, Annis, Geoffrey says –'

'I know exactly what Geoffrey says,' interrupted Annis 'I've knohat he would say any time these twenty years, and I find him far more of a bore than poor Maria Farlow No, no, don't try to look shocked! I daresay no one knows better than you that he and I cannot deal together The only tireement hen he assured me that I should love his wife!'

'Oh, Annis!' protested Lady Wychwood, blushing, and turning away her head 'You shouldn't say such things! Besides, I can't believe youwith me!'

'What a rapper!' co in her eyes 'I could live happily with you for the rest of my days, as well you know! It's my very worthy, starched-up, and consequential brother hom I can't and won't live Yes, isn't it unnatural of me?'

'So sad !' mourned her ladyship

'Oh, no, why? You would have cause to say so if I did remain here You must surely own that life would be veryGeoffrey a dozen times a day!'

Lady Wychwood did not deny this, but she sighed and said: 'But you are far too young to be setting up your own establishree with dear Geoffrey about that!'

'You always do agree with him, Amabel: indeed, you are the perfect wife for him!' interjected Annis irrepressibly