"Then you are quite decided upon this marriage, Aunt Caroline?" said Grace, wistfully.
"Quite so, Grace."
"Then I can only hope, Aunt Caroline, that it will meet your wishes and expectations."
"I am willing to run the risk, Grace," said her aunt, complacently.
As Grace left the room Mrs. Sheldon said to herself:
"I expected Grace would feel disturbed. She may say what she likes, but it is clear to me that she is jealous and mortified that the major has so soon recovered from her rejection of him."
CHAPTER XLII.
A REVELATION.
Grace felt that her aunt's strange resolution to marry was likely to affect her seriously. Hitherto she had formed one of her aunt's household, and bearing a part of the expenses, had lived under her aunt's protection. She felt that should her aunt marry Major Ashton this arrangement must be broken up. She was not willing to live under the same roof with Major Ashton, with that gentleman holding toward her the embarrassing relation of uncle. Nothing could be further from the truth than her aunt's hypothesis that Grace was suffering from jealousy and mortified pride. So far from it, she felt an active dislike for the major, and regarded him with contempt as an unscrupulous fortune hunter.