“Pshaw!” said Lady Ball again.

They had both been standing; and as everybody else was gone Miss Mackenzie had determined that she would go off to bed without settling herself in the room. So she prepared herself for her departure.

“I’ll say good-night now, aunt. I have still some of my packing to do, and I must be up early.”

“Don’t be in a hurry, Margaret. I want to speak to you before you leave us, and I shall have no other opportunity. Sit down, won’t you?”

Then Miss Mackenzie seated herself, most unwillingly.

“I don’t know that there is anyone nearer to you than I am, my dear; at any rate, no woman; and therefore I can say more than any other person. When you talk of not loving John, does that mean—does it mean that you are engaged to anyone else?”

“No, it does not.”

“And it does not mean that there is anyone else whom you are thinking of marrying?”

“I am not thinking of marrying anyone.”

“Or that you love any other man?”

“You are cross-questioning me, aunt, more than is fair.”

“Then there is some one?”

“No, there is nobody. What I say about John I don’t say through any feeling for anybody else.”

“Then, my dear, I think that a little talk between you and me may make this matter all right. I’m sure you don’t doubt John when he says that he loves you very dearly. As for your loving him, of course that would come. It is not as if you two were two young people, and that you wanted to be billing and cooing. Of course you ought to be fond of each other, and like each other’s company; and I have no doubt that you will. You and I would, of course, be thrown very much together, and I’m sure I’m very fond of you. Indeed, Margaret, I have endeavoured to show that I am.”

“You’ve been very kind, aunt.”

“Therefore as to your loving him, I really don’t think there need be any doubt about that. Then, my dear, as to the other part of the arrangement,—the money and all that. If you were to have any children, your own fortune would be settled on them; at least, that could be arranged, if you required it; though, as your fortune all came from the Balls, and is the very money with which the title was intended to be maintained, you probably would not be very exacting about that. Stop a moment, my dear, and let me finish before you speak. I want you particularly to think of what I say, and to remember that all your money did come from the Balls. It has been very hard upon John,—you must feel that. Look at him with his heavy family, and how he works for them!”

“But my uncle Jonathan died and left his money to my brothers before John was married. It is twenty-five years ago.”

“Well I remember it, my dear! John was just engaged to Rachel, and the marriage was put off because of the great cruelty of Jonathan’s will. Of course I am not blaming you.”