"Well; but I have noticed that many of these have private fortunes."
"Perhaps. Mamma, I expect Mr. Henderson will come and call this morning."
"Oh, my precious child! But how do you know? My darling Cynthia, am I to congratulate you?"
"No! I suppose I must tell you. I have had a letter this morning from him, and he's coming down by the 'Umpire' to-day."
"But he has offered? He surely must mean to offer, at any rate?"
Cynthia played with her teaspoon before she replied; then she looked up, like one startled from a dream, and caught the echo of her mother's question.
"Offered! yes, I suppose he has."
"And you accept him? Say 'yes,' Cynthia, and make me happy!"
"I shan't say 'yes' to make any one happy except myself, and the Russian scheme has great charms for me." She said this to plague her mother, and lessen Mrs. Gibson's exuberance of joy, it must be confessed; for her mind was pretty well made up. But it did not affect Mrs. Gibson, who affixed even less truth to it than there really was. The idea of a residence in a new, strange country, among new, strange people, was not without allurement to Cynthia.
"You always look nice, dear; but don't you think you had better put on that pretty lilac silk?"