’ButIwouldn’tlether，’saidMrsGibson。’YouweremuchbetterinLondonthanhere，foryoucouldhavedonemenogood；andyourletterswereveryagreeabletoread；andnowHelenisbetter，andI’mnearlywell，andyou’vecomehomejustattherighttime，foreverybodyisfulloftheCharityBall。’
’Butwearenotgoingthisyear，mamma，’saidCynthiadecidedly。’Itisonthe25th，isn’tit？andI’msureyou’llneverbewellenoughtotakeus。’
’YoureallyseemdeterminedtomakemeoutworsethanIam，child，’
saidMrsGibson，ratherquerulously，shebeingoneofthosewho，whentheirmaladyisonlytrifling，exaggerateit，butwhenitisreallyofsomeconsequence，areunwillingtosacrificeanypleasuresbyacknowledgingit。Itwaswellforherinthisinstancethatherhusbandhadwisdomandauthorityenoughtoforbidhergoingtothisball，onwhichshehadsetherheart；buttheconsequenceofhisprohibitionwasanincreaseofdomesticplaintivenessandlowspirits，whichseemedtotellonCynthia—thebrightgayCynthiaherself—anditwasoftenhardworkforMollytokeepupthespiritsoftwootherpeopleaswellasherown。Ill—healthmightaccountforMrsGibson’sdespondency，butwhywasCynthiasosilent，nottosaysosighing？Mollywaspuzzledtoaccountforit；andallthemoreperplexedbecausefromtimetotimeCynthiakeptcallinguponherforpraiseforsomeunknownandmysteriousvirtuethatshehadpractised；andMollywasyoungenoughtobelievethat，afteranyexerciseofvirtue，thespiritsrose，cheeredupbyanapprovingconscience。SuchwasnotthecasewithCynthia，however。
Shesometimessaidsuchthingsasthese，whenshehadbeenparticularlyinertanddesponding，—