better to her servants.  Her woman had got a black eye she had given her with her fan.  She has never had no breeding, you see, and there are uglier stories about her than I like to tell you, Miss Aureely; and as to the young lady, Sir Amyas saw her with his own eyes slap the lackey’s face for bringing her brown sugar instead of white.  She is a little dwarfish thing that puts her finger in her mouth and sulks when she is not flying out into a rage; but Colonel Mar is going to have her up to a boarding-school to mend her manners, and he and my lady are as much bent on marrying his Honour to her as if she was a perfect angel.”

“They never can!”

“Well, miss, they do most things they have a mind to; and they mean to do this before my Lady’s husband comes home.”

“But Mr. Belamour is his nephew’s guardian.”

“That’s what my Lady is come down here for.  Either she will get his consent out of him, or she will make the poor gentleman out to be non compos, and do without him.”

“Oh, nurse, he is the wisest, cleverest gentleman I ever saw, except my papa.”

“Do you say do, miss?  But you are young, you see.  A gentleman to shut himself up in the dark like that must needs be astray in his wits.”

“That is because of his eyes, and his wound.  Nobody could talk to him and doubt his reason.”

“Well, missie, I hope you are in the right; but what my Lady’s interest is, that she is apt to carry out, one way or t’other!  Bless me, if that be not Master Archer screaming.  I thought he was fast off to sleep.  There never was a child for hating the dark.  Yes, yes, I’m coming, my dearie!  Lack a daisy, if his mamma heard!”

CHAPTER XVI.  AUGURIES.

Venus, thy eternal sway
All the race of man obey. 
EURIPIDES (Anstice).

Aurelia sat up late to finish her despatches to the beloved ones at home, and pack the little works she had been able to do for each, though my Lady’s embroidery took up most of her sedentary hours.  Mrs. Dove undertook the care of the guinea’s worth of presents to the little sisters from Sir Amyas, which the prudent nurse advised her to withhold till after Master Archer was gone, as he would certainly break everything to pieces.  He was up betimes, careering about the garden with all his sisters after him, imperiously ordering them about, but nevertheless bewitching them all, so that Amoretta was in ecstasies at her own preferment, scarcely realising that it would divide her from the others; while Letty made sure that she should soon follow, and Fidelia gravely said, “I shall always know you are loving me still, Amy, as Nurse Rolfe does.”