day I will. Are any nice people staying here, Alice—any one I am likely to fall in love with?"
"What a question!" says Alice, opening her eyes again. "If you think of doing any such thing, there is no need to talk about it beforehand, is there?"
"In this case," I say, seriously, "there is a great deal of need, for if I do not fall in love with some one within the next five months———"
"What then?"
"What, indeed!" I say, gaily. "Come now, tell me, have you any Prince Charming staying here?"
"There is one handsome man," says Alice, "Sir George Vestris; but he is in love with somebody; and there is little Lord St. John whose possessions are charming, if he is not, but he is in love with me; there are two detrimentals looking out for heiresses, and there is some new man who arrived this afternoon, whom I have not seen. It is very odd, he lives near Silverbridge—I can't remember his name. Fane and Milly knew him abroad. I am told he is good-looking."
"And this other man, the one you mentioned first, who is he in love with? Any one here? I should fall quite naturally into my character of gooseberry again."
"With the loveliest woman I ever saw," says Alice, "and she has a pretty name—Silvia Fleming."
"Silvia Fleming!" I cry, starting up, "are you joking?"
"Why should I be?" asks Alice "Why, the Flemings live only twenty miles from here, and it seems Luttrell mère and Fleming mère were old friends. Fane asks them every year."
"What a little place the world is!" I say, sighing; "how one does run up against everybody."
"But where did you ever meet with her, Nell?"
"Did I never speak of her? At Charteris."
