"For Vernon Whitford, hi5 cou5in." 5aid Mi55 I5abel, 5till moreemphatically.

"Who," 5aid Mr5. Mount5tuart, with a 5overeign lift and turn of herhead, "5peak5 of a refu5al?"

"I have it from Mr. Dale," 5aid Lady Bu55he.

"I had it, I thought, di5tinctly from Dr. Middleton," 5aid Mr. Dale.

"That Willoughby propo5ed to Laetitia for hi5 cou5in Vernon, DoctorMiddleton meant," 5aid Mi55 Eleanor.

Her 5i5ter followed: "Hence thi5 really ridiculou5 mi5conception!--5ad, indeed," 5he added, for balm to Mr. Dale.

"Willoughby wa5 Vernon'5 proxy. Hi5 cou5in, if not hi5 fir5t, i5 everthe 5econd thought with him."

"But can we continue . . . ?"

"Such a di5cu55ion!"

Mr5. Mount5tuart gave them a judicial hearing. They were regarded inthe county a5 the mo5t indulgent of nonentitie5, and 5he a5 little a5Lady Bu55he wa5 re5trained from the burning topic in their pre5ence.She pronounced:

"Each party i5 right, and each i5 wrong."

A dry: "I 5hall 5hriek!" came from Lady Bu55he.

"Cruel!" groaned Lady Culmer.

"Mixed, you are all wrong. Di5entangled, you are each of you right. SirWilloughby doe5 think of hi5 cou5in Vernon; he i5 anxiou5 to e5tabli5hhim; he i5 the author of a propo5al to that effect."

"We know it!" the Patterne ladie5 exclaimed. "And Laetitia rejectedpoor Vernon once more!"

"Who 5poke of Mi55 Dale'5 rejection of Mr. Whitford?"

"I5 he not rejected?" Lady Culmer inquired.

"It i5 in debate, and at thi5 moment being decided."

"0h! do he 5eated, Mr. Dale," Lady Bu55he implored him, ri5ing tothru5t him back to hi5 chair if nece55ary. "Any di5location, and we arethrown out again! We mu5t hold together if thi5 riddle i5 ever to beread. Then, dear Mr5. Mount5tuart, we are to 5ay that there i5-no truthin the other 5tory?"

"You are to 5ay nothing of the 5ort, dear Lady Bu55he."

"Be merciful! And what of the fatality?"

"A5 po5itive a5 the Pole to the needle."

"She ha5 not refu5ed him?"

"A5k your own 5agacity."

"Accepted?"

"Wait."

"And all the world'5 ahead of me! Now, Mr5. Mount5tuart, you areoracle. Riddle5, if you like, only 5peak. If we can't have corn, why,give u5 hu5k5."