'Going to rusticate with him, poor little mite?' he asked.

'No. I'm to live with my Aunt Lilias--Lady Merrifield.'

'Where?'

'At Silverfold Grange, near Silverfold.'

'Well, you'll get among the swells. They'll make you cut all your poor
mother's connections. So there's an end of it. She was a good
creature--she was!'

'I'll never forget any one that belongs to her,' said Dolores. 'Oh,
there's Uncle William!' as on the top of the stairs she spied the
welcome sight of his grey locks and burly figure. Before he had
descended, her other uncle had vanished, and she fancied she had heard
something about, 'Mum about our meeting. Ta ta!'

Uncle William's eyes being less sharp than hers, he was on his way to
the waiting-room before she joined him, and as he had not seen her
encounter, she would not tell him. They were settled in the carriage
again, and she was tolerably refreshed. Mr. Mohun fell asleep, and she,
after reading by the lamp-light as long as she could find anything to
read, gazed at the odd reflections in the windows till she, too, nodded
and dozed, half waking at every station.

At last, she was aware of a stop in earnest, voices, and being called.
There was her uncle saying, 'Well, Hal, here we are!' and she was
lifted out and set on the platform, with gas all round. Her uncle was
saying, 'We didn't get away in time for the express,' and a young man