'What is the matter?' whispered she; 'has it all come out?'
'Yes, it is in the paper, and Papa is very angry,' sighed Katherine.
'Is there anything about me?' asked Harriet eagerly, paying no regard to poor Katherine's woful appearance and streaming eyes.
'Oh no, nothing,' said Katherine, hastening away, as Mrs. Hazleby and Lucy came into the passage.
'Hey-day! what is all this about?' exclaimed the former, encountering Mr.
Woodbourne, as he came out of his wife's dressing-room; 'what is the matter now?'
'I believe your daughter can explain it better than I can,' answered Mr.
Woodbourne, giving her the paper, and walking away to his study as soon as he came to the bottom of the stairs.
As soon as Mrs. Hazleby found herself in the drawing-room she called upon her eldest daughter to explain to her the meaning of what she saw in the newspaper.
'Why, Mamma,' Harriet began, 'you know Miss Merton and Lizzie Woodbourne care for nothing but history and all that stuff, and do not mind what they do, as long as they can talk, talk, talk of nothing else all day long. So they were at it the day you dined out, and they had some question or other, whether King Arthur's Round Table were knights or not, till at last Kate said something about the Institute, and they were all set upon going, though Helen told them they had better not, so out we went, we walked all together to Mrs. Turner's, and she took them. I suppose Fido must have fallen into the river while they were at the Institute.'
'Poor dear little fellow, I dare say that was the way he was lost,' said Mrs.
Hazleby; 'when once young people take that kind of nonsense into their head, there is an end of anything else. Well, and how was it we never heard of it all this time?'
'I think no one would wish to tell of it,' said Harriet; 'you would not have heard of it now, if it had not been in the paper.'
'Well, I hope Miss Lizzie will have enough of it,' said Mrs. Hazleby; 'it will open her papa's eyes to all her conceit, if anything will.'
'I am sure it is time,' said Harriet; 'she thinks herself wiser than all the world, one cannot speak a word for her.'
'O Harriet!' said Lucy, looking up from her work with some indignation in her eyes.
'I believe you think it all very grand, Lucy,' said her mother; 'you care for nothing as long as you can dawdle about with Helen. Pray did you go to this fine place?'
'No, Mamma,' said Lucy.
'H--m,' said Mrs. Hazleby, rather disappointed at losing an opportunity of scolding her.
Anne had gone to write a letter in her mother's room, whilst Elizabeth was busy.
She had just finished it, and was thinking of going to see whether anyone was ready to read in the school- room, when Rupert came in, and making a low bow, addressed her thus: 'So, Miss Nancy, I congratulate you.'
'What is the matter now?' said Anne.
'Pray, Anne,' said he, 'did you ever experience the satisfaction of feeling how pleasant it is to see one's name in print?'
'You were very near having something like that pleasure yourself,' said Anne; 'it was only your arrival on Friday that saved the expense of an advertisement at the head of a column in the Times--
'R. M., return, return, return to your sorrowing friends.''
'Pray be more speedy next time,' said Rupert, 'for then I shall be even with you.'
'I am sure you have some wickedness in your head, or all your speeches would not begin with 'Pray,'' said Anne; 'what do you mean?'
'What I say,' answered Rupert; 'I have just read Miss Merton's name in the paper.'
'Some other Miss Merton, you foolish boy!' said Anne.
'No, no, yourself, Anne Katherine Merton, daughter of Sir Edward,' said Rupert.
'My dear Rupert, you do not mean it!' said Anne, somewhat alarmed.
'I saw it with my eyes,' said Rupert.
'But where?'
'In the Abbeychurch Reporter, or whatever you call it.'
'Oh!' said Anne, looking relieved, 'we are probably all there, as having been at the Consecration.'
'The company there present, are, I believe, honoured with due mention of Sir Edward Merton and family,' said Rupert; 'but I am speaking of another part of the paper where Miss Merton is especially noted, alone in her glory.'
'In what paper did you say, Rupert?' said Lady Merton.
'The Abbeychurch Reporter,' said he.
'Mr. Higgins's paper!' said Anne. 'O Mamma, I see it all--that horrible Mechanics'
Institute!'
'Why, Anne,' said her brother, 'I thought you would be charmed with your celebrity.'
