"Could not Lady Desmond manage to spare you for one day ?" "She is all alone, you know," said Clara, whose heart, however, was bent on accepting the invitation.
"Perhaps she would come over and join us," said Lady Fitzgerald, feeling, however, that the subject was not without danger.

Sending a carriage for a young girl like Lady Clara did very well, but it might not answer if she were to offer to send for the Countess of Desmond.
"Oh, mamma never goes out." "I'm quite sure she'd like you to stay," said Herbert.

"After you were all gone yesterday, she said how delighted she was to have you go away for a little time.

And she did say she thought you could not go to a better place than Castle Richmond." "I am sure that was very kind of her," said Lady Fitzgerald.
"Did she ?" said Clara, longingly.
And so after a while it was settled that she should send a line to her mother, saying that she had been persuaded to stay over one other night, and that she should accompany them to inspect the site of this embryo mill at Berryhill.
"And I will write a line to the countess," said Lady Fitzgerald, "telling her how impossible it was for you to hold your own intention when we were all attacking you on the other side." And so the matter was settled.
On the following day they were to leave home almost immediately after breakfast; and on this occasion Miss Letty insisted on going with them.
"There's a seat on the car, I know, Herbert," she said; "for you mean to ride; and I'm just as much interested about the mill as any of you." "I'm afraid the day would be too long for you, Aunt Letty," said Mary: "we shall stay there, you know, till after four." "Not a bit too long.

When I'm tired I shall go into Mrs.Townsend's; the glebe is not ten minutes' drive from Berryhill." The Rev.Aeneas Townsend was the rector of the parish, and he, as well as his wife, were fast friends of Aunt Letty.