habits--his morning stroll to see the fishing-boats come in, his
afternoon ride, and evening's dinner party, or whist-club, which
latter institution disposed of him, greatly to Colin's relief. The
brothers lived together very amicably, and the younger often made
himself helpful and useful to the elder, but evidently did not feel
bound to be exclusively devoted to his service and companionship.
All the winter residents and most of the neighbouring gentry quickly
called at Gowanbrae, and Lord Keith, in the leisure of his present
life, liked society where he was the man of most consequence, and
readily accepted and gave invitations. Colin, whose chest would not
permit him to venture out after sunset, was a most courteous
assistant host, but necessarily made fewer acquaintances, and often
went his own way, sometimes riding with his brother, but more
frequently scarcely seeing him between breakfast and twilight, and
then often spending a solitary evening, which he much preferred
either to ecarte or to making talk.

The summer life had been very different from the winter one. There
was much less intercourse with the Homestead, partly from Rachel
being much engrossed with the F. U. E. E., driving over whenever the
coachman would let her, to inspect progress, and spending much of her
time in sending out circulars, answering letters, and writing a tale
on the distresses of Woman, and how to help them, entitled "Am I not
a Sister?" Tales were not much in Bachel's line; she despised
reading them, and did not love writing them, but she knew that she
must sugar the cup for the world, and so she diligently applied
herself to the piece de resistance for the destined magazine, heavily
weighting her slender thread of story with disquisitions on economy
and charity, and meaning to land her heroines upon various industrial
asylums where their lot should be far more beatific than marriage,