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196 knew that the weight was there: she was strange, lonely, unsettled, and she looked forward to nothing. Never had she before felt so forcibly the change that a few months had worked in her; and she was sad when she remembered how young she was, and how little in life remained for her. How delighted she would have been but a very little while before, at the idea of a visit to London! now lassitude and discouragement were her predominant sensations. Ethel found the time hang heavily on her hands, the more heavily for expectation. A note from Lady Marchmont had reached her early in the morning, saying, that she would be with her young friend the very moment Lord Marchmont went out. "The fact is, my dearest Ethel," so ran the note, "his lordship is terribly afraid of you. He sees the cause of the Stuarts triumphant in your ringlets, and the downfal of the House of Hanover in your complexion. However, as I make a point of having my own way, I cannot let you be the first exception to the rule; therefore, expect me some time in