these two hours." 

"Has he?" and I was just going to add, ^'How very 



MY MOTHER AND I. 171 

tired my grandfather must be !" when I remembered the 
young man was a favorite with Mrs. Rix ; at least, she 
always contrived to have him near us, and to get me to 
dance with him. The latter I liked well enough  ^he 
was a beautiful dancer; the former I found rather a 
bore. But then he was an excellent person, Cousin Con- 
rad said, and they two were very good friends ; which 
had inclined me to be kind, kinder than I might other- 
wise have been, to Sir Thomas Appleton. 

Forgetting all about him, I ran down stairs, gayly too. 
For second thoughts told me there was nothing to be 
afraid of. If any  were going to happen  if Cous- 
in Conrad had been returning to India, he would have 
told me ; certainly as soon as he told Mrs. Eix. He had 
got into a habit of talking to me, and telling me , 
very much as a kind elder brother would tell a young 
sister, whom he wished to make happy with his trust as 
well as his . And it did make me happy, 
more and more so every day.