She laughed a little when she discovered that her feet were actually rather swollen, and that she must wear a pair of her easiest slippers.

"I must sit down as much as I can to-day," she thought.

"And yet, with the dinner-party and the excursion this morning, there may be a number of little things Lady Maria would like me to do." There were, indeed, numbers of things Lady Maria was extremely glad to ask her to do.

The drive to the ruins was to be made before lunch, because some of the guests felt that an afternoon jaunt would leave them rather fagged for the dinner-party in the evening.

Lady Maria was not going, and, as presently became apparent, the carriages would be rather crowded if Miss Fox-Seton joined the party.