"It is, as pretty as anything in one of your uncle's pictures. And are you quite happy?"
Stella brought her eyes upon the pale, wrinkled face.
"Happy! Oh, yes, quite," she said.
"Yes, I think you are," said the old lady with a keen glance at the beautiful face and bright, pure eyes. "Then you must keep so, my dear," she said.
"But isn't that rather difficult?" said Stella, with a smile.
Lady Longford looked at her.
"That serves me right for meddling," she said. "Yes, it is difficult, very difficult, and yet the art is easy enough; it contains only one rule, and that is 'to be content.'"
"Then I shall continue to be happy," said Stella; "for I am very content."
"For the present," said the old lady. "Take care, my dear!"
Stella smiled; it was a strange sort of conversation, and there was a suggestion of something that did not appear on the surface.