A NOV EL.

BY ADELINE SERGEANT

Author of "The Luck o f theHouse," "A LifeSentence," etc.,etc.

O NTREAL

J OHN LOV ELL & SON ,

23
S

ICHO LAS

TREET

A TRUE FRIE ND

C HAPTER I.

A NU NSU ITABLE FR IEN DSHIP.

Janettaw asthemusicgoverness
abrownlittlethin gofnoparticular

importance, andMargaretAdairwasabeautyandanheiress,andthe

only daughter of people w ho thought themselves very distinguished

indeed; so that the tw o had not, you might think, ve

ry much in

common, and w ere not likely to be attracted one to the other. Y et, in

spite of differing circumstances, they w ere close friends and allies;

and had been such ever since they w ere together at the same

fashionable school w here Miss Adair w as the p

etted favorite of all,

and Janetta Colwyn w as the pupil

teacher in the shabbiest of frocks,

w ho got all the snubbing and did most of the hard w ork. A nd great

offencew asgiveninseveraldirecti onsbyMissA dair'sattachmentto

poor little Janetta.

"It is

an unsuitable friendship, " Miss Polehampton, the principal of

the school, observed on more than one occasion, "and I am sure I do

not know how Lady Caroline w ill like it. "

Lady Carolinew as, of course, Margaret A dair's mamma.

Miss Polehampton felt her resp

onsibili ty so keenly in the matter that

at last she resolved to speak "very seriously" to her dear Margaret.

She alw ays talked of "her dear Margaret, " Janetta used to say, w hen

shew asgoingtomakeherselfparticularlydisagreeable. For"herdear

Margaret

"wasthepetpupil,theshowpupiloftheestablishment:her

air of perfect breeding gave distinction, Miss Polehampton thought,

tothew holeschool;andherrefinement, herexemplarybehavior,her

industry, and her talent formed the theme of many a lectu

re to less

accomplished and less decorous pupils. For, contrary to all

conventional expectations, Margaret A dair w as not stupid, although

she w as beautiful and w ell

behaved. She w as an exceedingly

intell igent girl; she had an aptitude for several arts and

accomplishments, and she w as remarkable for the delicacy of her

tasteandtheexquisitediscr iminat io nofw hichshesometimesshowed

herself capable. A t the same time she w as not as clever

("not

as
glaringly

clever," a friend of hers once expressed it)

as

litt le

Janetta Colwyn, w hose nimble w its gathered knowledge as a bee

collectshoneyunderthemostunfavorablecircumstances.Janettahad

to learn her lessons w hen the other girls had gone to bed, in a little

room under the roof; a room which w as like an i

ce

house in w inter

and an oven in summer; she w as never able to be in time for her

classes, and she often missed them altogether; but, in spite of these

disadvantages, she generally proved herself the most advanced pupil

inherdivision, andifpupil

teach

ershadbeenallow edtotakeprizes,

w ouldhavecarriedoffeveryfirstprizeintheschool.This,tobesure,

w as not allowed. It w ould not have been "the thing" for the little

governess

-
pupil to take aw ay the prizes from the girls w hose parents

paid betw

een tw o and three hundred a year for their tuition (the fees

w ere high, because Miss Polehampton' s school w as so exceedingly

fashionable); therefore, Janetta's marks w ere not counted, and her

exercisesw ereputasideanddidnotcomeintocompetitionw ith

those

of the other girls, and it w as generally understood amongst the

teachers that, if you w ished to stand w ell w ith Miss Polehampton, it

w ould be better not to praise Miss Colwyn, but rather to put forw ard

the merits of some charming Lady Mary or Honorab

le A deliza, and

leave Janetta in the obscurity from w hich (according to Miss

Polehampton) she w as fated never to emerge.

U nfortunately for the purposes of the mistress of the school, Janetta

w asratherafavoritew iththegirls.Shew asnotadored, likeMargaret;

she w as not looked up to and respected, as w as the H onorable Edith

G ore; she w as nobody' s pet, as the little Ladi

es Blanche and Rose

A mberleyhadbeeneversincetheysetfootintheschool;butshew as

everybody's friend and comrade, the recipient of everybody' s

confidences,thesharerineverybody' sjoysorw oes. Thefactw asthat

Janetta had the inestimable gift o

f sympathy; she understood the

difficult ies of people around her better than many w omen of tw ice

her agew ould have done;and shew as so bright and sunny

tempered

and quick

w itted that her very presence in a room was enough to

dispel gloom and ill

temper.

She was, therefore, deservedly popular,

and did more to keep up the character of Miss Polehampton' s school

forcomfortandcheerfulnessthanMissPolehamptonherselfw asever

likelytobeaware.A ndthegirlmostdevotedtoJanettaw asMargaret

A dair.

"Rem

ain for a few moments, Margaret; I w ish to speak to you," said

Miss Polehampton, majestically, w hen one evening, directly after

prayers, the show pupil advanced to bid her teachers good

night.
The girls all sat round the room on wooden chairs, and Miss

Pol

ehamptonoccupiedahigh

backed,cushionedseatatacentretable

w hile she read the portion of Scripture w ith w hich the day's w ork

concluded. N ear her sat the governesses, English, French and

G erman, w ith little Janetta bringing up the rear in the draught

iest

place and the most uncomfortable chair. A fter prayers, Miss

Polehamptonandtheteachersrose, andtheirpupilscametobidthem

good

night, offering hand and cheek to each in turn. There w as

alw ays a great deal of kissing to be got through on these o

ccasions.

Miss Polehampton blandly insisted on kissing all her thirty pupils

every evening; it made them feel more as if they were at home, she

usedtosay;andherexamplew as, ofcourse,follow edbytheteachers

and the girls.

Margaret A dair, as one of t

he oldest and tallest girls in the school,

generally came forw ard first for that evening salute. When Miss
Polehamptonmadetheobservationjustrecorded, shesteppedbackto

a position beside her teacher' s chair in the demure attitude of a w ell

behaved sc

hoolgirl

hands crossed over the w rists, feet in position,

head and shoulders carefully erect, and eyes gently low ered tow ards

the carpet. Thus standing, she was yet perfectly w ell aw are that

JanettaColwyngaveheranodd, impishlitt lelookofmingledfun

and

anxietybehindMissPolehampton' sback;foritw asgenerallyknown

thatalecturew asimpendingwhenoneofthegirlswasdetainedafter

prayers, and it was very unusual for Margaret to be lectured! Miss

A dair did not, how ever, look discomposed. A mom

entary smile

flit ted across her face at Janetta's tiny grimace, but it w as instantly

succeeded by thelook of simple gravity becoming to the occasion.

When the last of the pupils and the last also of the teachers had filed

out of the room, Miss Polehampton

turned and surveyed the w aiting

girl w ith some uncertainty. She was really fond of Margaret A dair.

N ot only did she bring credit to the school, but she w as a good, nice,

lady

like girl (such w ere Miss Polehampton' s epithets), and very fair

to look upon. M

argaret w as tall, slender, and exceedingly graceful in

her movements; she w as delicately fair, and had hair of the silkiest

texture and palest gold; her eyes, how ever, w ere not blue, as one

w ould have expected them to be; they w ere hazel brow n, and veiled

by long brown lashes

eyes of melting softness and dreaminess,

peculiarlysweetinexpression. H erfeaturesw ereaverylitt letoolong

andthinforperfectbeauty;buttheygaveheraMadonna

likelookof

peace and calm w hich many w ere ready enthusiastical

ly to admire.

A ndtherew asnow antofexpressioninherface;itsfaintrosebloom

varied almost at a w ord, and the thin curved lips w ere as sensitive to

feeling as could be desired. What w as w anting in the face w as w hat

gave it its peculiar maidenly char

m
a lack of passion, a little lack,

perhaps, of strength. But at seventeen w e look less for these

characteristics th an for the sweetness and docility w hich Margaret

certainly possess ed. H er dress of soft, w hite muslin w as quite

simple

theidealdressfora

younggirl

andyetitwassobeautifully

made, so perfectly finished in every detail, that Miss Polehampton

never looked at it w ithout an uneasy feeling that she w as

too

w ell

dressedforaschoolgirl. O thersw oremuslindressesofapparentlythe

same cut

and texture; but w hat the casual eye might fail to observe,

the schoolmistres s w as perfectly well aw are of, namely, that the tiny

frill s at neck and w rists were of the costliest Mechlin lace, that the
hem of the dress w as bordered w ith the same material, a

s if it had

been the commonest of things; that the embroidered w hite ribbons

w ith w hich it w as trimmed had been w oven in France especially for

Miss A dair, and that the little silve r buckles at her w aist and on her

shoes w ere so ancient and beautiful as to

be of almost historic

importance. The effect w as that of simplici ty; but it w as the costly

simplic ity of absolute perfection. Margaret' s mother w as never

contentunlessherchildw asclothedfromheadtofootinmaterialsof

the softest, finest and best. I

t w as a sort of outw ard symbol of w hat

she desired for the girl in all relations of life.

This it w as that disturbed Miss Polehampton' s mind as she stood and

looked uneasily for a moment at Margaret A dair. Then she took the

girl by the hand.

"Sitdown,my

dear,"shesaid, inakindvoice, "andletmetalktoyou

for a few moments. Ihope you arenot tired w ith standing so long. "

"O h, no, thank you; not at all, " Margaret answ ered, blushing slightly

as she took a seat at Miss Polehampton' s left hand. She w as

more

intimida ted by this unw onted kindness of address than by any

imaginable severity. The schoolmistress w as tall and imposing in

appearance: her manner w as usually a little pompous, and it did not

seem quite natural to Margaret thatshe should speakso g

ently.

"My dear," said Miss Polehampton, "w hen your dear mamma gave

you into my charge, I am sure she considered me responsible for the

influences under w hich you were brought, and the friendships that

you made undermy roof. "

"Mamma knew that I could not

be hurt by any friendship that I

made

here

, " said Margaret, w ith the softest flatte ry. She w as quite

sincere: it w as natural to her to say"pretty things" topeople.

"Q uite so, " the schoolmistress admitted. "Q uite so, dear Margaret, if

you keep

w ithin your ow n grade in society. There is no pupil in this

establishment, Iamthankfultosay,w hoisnotofsuitablefamilyand

prospects to become your friend. You are young yet, and do not

understand the complications in w hich people sometimes involve

themselves by making friendships out of their ow n sphere.

But

understand,and Iw ish to caution you. "

"I am not aw are that I have made any unsuitable friendships," said

Margaret, w ith a rather proud look in herhazel eyes.

"Well

no,Ihopenot, "saidMi

ssPolehamptonw ithahesitatinglitt l e

cough."Y ouunderstand, mydear, thatinanestablishmentlikemine,

personsmustbeemployedtodocertainw orkw hoarenotquiteequal

in position to

to

ourselves. Persons of inferior birth and station, I

mean, to

w hom the care of the younger girls, and certain menial

duties, must be committed. These persons, my dear, w ith w hom you

must necessarily be brought in contact, and w hom I hope you w ill

alw ays treat w ith perfect courtesy and consideration, need not, at the

same time, be made your intimate friends."

"I have never made friends w ith any of the servants," said Margaret,

quietly. Miss Polehamptonw as somew hat irritated by this remark.

"I do not allude to the servants," she saidw ith momentary sharpness.

"I do not

consider Miss Colwyn a servant, or I should not, of course,

allow her to sit at the same table w ith you. But there is a sort of

familiar ity of w hich I do not altogether approve

"

She paused, and Margaret drew up her head and spoke w ith unusual

decision.

"Miss Colwyn ismy greatest friend. "

"Y es,mydear,thatisw hatIcomplainof.Couldyounotfindafriend

in your ow n rankof life w ithout making one of MissColwyn?"

"SheisquiteasgoodasIam, "criedMargaret,indignantly. "Q uiteas

good, far more s

o, and a great dealcleverer!"

"She has capabili ties," said the schoolmistress, w ith the air of one

makingaconcession;"andIhopethattheyw illbeusefultoherinher

calling. Shew illprobablybecomeanurserygoverness,orcompanion

to some lady of

superior position. But I cannot believe, my dear that

dear Lady Caroline w ould approve of your singling her out as your

especial andparticular friend. "

"I am sure mamma alw ays likes people w ho are good and clever,"

said Margaret. She did not fly into a ra

ge as some girls w ould have

done, but her face flushed, and her breath came more quickly than

usual

signs of great excitement on her part, w hich Miss

Polehamptonw as not slow toobserve.

"Shelikesthemintheirproperstati on,mydear.Thisfriendshipis

not

improvingforyou, norforMissColw yn.Y ourpositionsinlifeareso

different that your notice of her can but cause discontent and ill

feeling in her mind. It is exceedingly injudicious, and I cannot think

that your dear mamma w ould approve of it if

she knew the

circumstances."

"But Janetta's family is not at all badly connected, " said Margaret,

w ith some eagerness. "There are cousins of hers living close to us

the next propertybelongs to them

"

"D o you know them, my dear?"

"I know

about

them, " answ

ered Margaret, suddenly coloring very

deeply,andlookinguncomfortable, "butIdon' tthinkIhaveeverseen

them, they are somuch aw ay fromhome

"

"I know

about

them, too," said Miss Polehampton, grimly; "and I do

not think that you w ill ever advance Mi

ss Colw yn' s interests by

mentioning her connection w ith that family. I have heard Lady

Caroline speak of Mrs. Brand and her children. They are not people,

my dear Margaret, w hom it is desirable for you toknow ."

"But Janetta's own people livequite near us

," said Margaret, reduced

to a very pleading tone. "I know them at home; they live at

Beaminster

notthree miles off."

"A nd may I ask if Lady Caroline visits them, my dear?" asked Miss

Polehampton, w ith mild sarcasm, w hich brought the color again to

Margar

et' sfairface.Thegirlcouldnotanswer;shekneww ellenough

thatJanetta's stepmotherw asnotatallthesortofpersonw homLady

Caroline A dair would w illingly speak to, and yet she did not like to

say that her acquaintance w ith Janetta had only been

made at a

Beaminster dancing class. Probably Miss Polehampton divined the

fact. "U nderthecircumstances,"shesaid,"IthinkIshouldbejustified

inw ritingtoLadyCarolineandaskinghertoremonstratealitt lew ith

you, my dear Margaret. Probably she

w ould be better able to make

you understand the impropriety ofyour behavior than I can do. "

The tears rose toMargaret' s eyes. Shew asnot usedto being rebuked

in this manner.

"But

I don' t know , Miss Polehampton, w hat you w ant me to do, "

she said,

more nervously than usual. "I can't give up Janetta; I can't

possibly avoid speaking to her, you know , even if Iw anted to

"

"I desire nothing of the sort, Margaret. Be kind and polite to her, as

usual. Butletmesuggestthatyoudonotmakeacompanion

ofherin

thegardensoconstantly

thatyoudonottrytositbesideherinclass

orlookoverthesamebook. Iw illspeaktoMissColwynherselfabout

it. I think I can make

her

understand. "

"O h, please do not speak to Janetta! I quite understand already,

" said

Margaret, growing pale w ith distress. "Y ou do not know how kind

and good she hasalw ays been to me

"

Sobs choked her utterance, rather to Miss Polehampton' s alarm. She

did not like to see her girls cry

least of all, Margaret A dair.

"My dear, you ha

ve no need to excite yourself. Janetta Colwyn has

alw ays been treated, I hope, w ith justice and kindness in this house.

If you w ill endeavor only to make her position in lif e less instead of

moredifficult, youw illbedoingherthegreatestfavorinyour

pow er.

I do not at all mean that I w ish you to be unkind to her. A little more

reserve, a little more caution, in your demeanor, and you w ill be all

thatIhaveeverwishedyoutobe

acredittoyourparentsandtothe

school which haseducated you!"

This

sentiment was so effusive that it stopped Margaret' s tears out of

sheeramazement;andw henshehadsaidgood

nightandgonetobed,

Miss Polehampton stood for a moment or tw o quite still, as if to

recover from the unw onted exertion of expressing an affect

ionate

emotion. It w as perhaps a reaction against it that caused her almost

immediately to ring the bell a trifle sharply, and to say

still

sharply

to the maid w ho appeared in answ er.

"Send MissColwyn to me. "

Five minutes elapsed before Miss Colw yn came,

how ever, and the

schoolmistress had had time to grow impatient.

"Why did you not come at once when I sent for you?" she said,

severely, as soonas Janetta presented herself.

"Iw asgoingtobed, "saidthegirl, quickly;"andIhadtodressmyself

again. "

he short, decided accents grated on Miss Polehampton' s ear. Miss

Colwyndidnotspeakhalfso"nicely, "shesaidtoherself,asdiddear
Margaret A dair.

"I have been talking to Miss A dair about you, " said the

schoolmistress,coldly. "Ihavebeentellinghe

r,asInowtellyou,that

the difference in your positions makes your present intimacy very

undesirable. Iw ishyoutounderstand, henceforw ard, thatMissA dair

is not to w alk w ith you in the garden, not to sit beside you in class,

not to associatewith y

ou, as she has hitherto done, on equal terms."

"Whyshouldw enotassociateonequalterms?"saidJanetta. Shew as

a black

browed girl, w ith a clear olive skin, and hereyes flashed and

her cheeks glowed w ith indignation as she spoke.

"Y ouarenotequals,"

saidMissPolehampton,w ithicydispleasurein

hertone

shehadspokenverydifferentlytoMargaret. "Youhaveto

w ork for your bread: there is no disgrace in that, but it puts you on a
different level from that of Miss Margaret A dair, an earl' s grand

dau

ghter, and the only child of one of the richest commoners in

England. I have never before reminded you of the difference in

position betw eenyourself and the young ladies w ithw hom youhave

hitherto been allow ed to associate; and I really think I shall hav

e to

adopt another method

unless you conduct yourself, Miss Colw yn,

w ith a little moremodesty and propriety. "

"May I ask w hat your other method w ould be?" asked Miss Colwyn,

w ith perfect self

possession.

Miss Polehampton looked at her for a moment in sile

nce.

"To begin w ith, " she said, "I could order the meals differently, and

requestyoutotakeyoursw iththeyoungerchildren,andinotherw ays

cut you off from the society of the young ladies. A nd if this failed, I
couldsignifytoyourfatherthatoura

rrangementw asnotsatisfactory,

and that it had better end at the close of this term. "

Janetta'seyesfellandhercolorfadedassheheardthisthreat.Itmeant

agooddealtoher. Sheansw eredquickly, butw ithsomenervousness

of tone.

"O fcourse, that

mustbeasyouplease,MissPolehampton. IfIdonot

satisfy you, I must go. "

"Y ou satisfy me very w ell except in that one respect. H ow ever, I do

not ask for any promise from you now . I shall observe your conduct

duringthenextfew days,andbeguidedby

w hatIsee. Ihavealready

spoken to Miss Adair."

Janetta bit her lips. After a pause, she said

"Is that all? MayI go now ?"

"Y ou may go," said Miss Polehampton, w ith majesty; and Janetta

softly and slow lyretired.

But as soon as she w as outside the door

her demeanor changed. She

burstintotearsasshespedsw iftlyupthebroadstaircase, andhereyes

w ere so blinded that she did not even see a w hite figure hovering on

the landing until she found herself suddenly in Margaret' s arms. In

defianceofallru

les

disobedientfornearlythefirsttimeinherlife

Margaret had w aited and w atched for Janetta's coming; and now,

claspedascloselytogetherassisters , thetw ofriendsheldaw hispered

colloquy on the stairs.

"D arling, " said Margaret, "w as shevery un

kind?"

"Shew asveryhorrid, butIsupposeshecouldn' thelpit, "saidJanetta,

w ithalittlelaughmixingitselfw ithhersobs."Wemustn' tbefriends

any more, Margaret. "

"Butw ew ill be friends

alw ays, Janetta. "

"We must not sit together orw alk

together

"

"Janetta, I shall behave to you exactly as I have alw ays done. " The

gentle Margaretw as in revolt.

"Shew ill w rite to your mother, Margaret, and to myfather."

"I shall w rite to mine, too, and explain, " said Margaret w ith dignity.

A nd Janetta h

adnot the heart tow hisper to her friend that the tone in

w hich Miss Polehampton w ould w rite to Lady Caroline w ould differ

veryw idely fromthe one that shewould adopt to Mr. Colw yn.
C HAPTER II.

LADY CA R OLIN E'S TA CTIC S.

H elmsley Court w as generally con

sidered one of the prettiest houses

about Beaminster; a place w hich w as rich in pretty houses, being a

Cathedraltow nsituatedinoneofthemostbeautifulsoutherncounties

ofEngland.ThevillageofH elmsleyw asapicturesquelittlegroupof

black and w h

ite cottages, w ith gardens full of old

fashioned flow ers

beforethemandmeadowsandw oodsbehind.HelmsleyCourtw ason

slightly higher gr ound than the village, and its w indow s commanded

anextensiveviewoflovelycountryboundedinthedistancebyalon

low rangeofbluehills,beyondw hich, incleardays, itw assaid, keen

eyes could catch a glimpse of the shining sea. The house itself w as a

very fine old building, w ith a long terrace stretching before its low er

w indow s, and flow er gardens w hich w ere t

he admiration of half the

county. It had a picture gallery and a magnificent hall w ith polished

floor and stained w indow s, and all the accessories of an antique and

celebrated mansion; and it had also all the comfort and luxury that

modern civilizati on cou

ld procure.

It w as this latter characteristic that made "the Court, " as it w as

commonly called, so popular. Picturesque old houses are sometimes

draughty and inconvenient, but no such defects w ere ever allow ed to

exist at the Court. Every thing went smooth

ly: the servants w ere

perfectly trained: the latest improvements possible were alw ays

introduced: the house w as ideally luxurious. There never seemed to

be any jar or discord: no domestic w orry w as ever allow ed to reach

theearsofthemistressofthehous

ehold, nocaresortroublesseemed

able to exist in that serene atmosphere. You could not even say of it

that it w as dull. For the master of the Court w as a hospitable man,

w ith many tastes and w hims w hich he liked to indulge by having

dow n from London the

numerous friends w hose fancies matched his

ow n, and his w ife w as a little bit of a fine lady who had London

friends too, as well as neighbors, w hom she liked to entertain. The

house was seldom free from visit ors; and it w as partly for that very

reasontha

tLadyCarolineA dair,beinginherow nwayaw isewoman,

had arranged that tw o or three years of her daughter's life should be

spentatMissPolehampton' sveryselectboarding

schoolatBrighton.

Itw ouldbeagreatdrawbacktoMargaret, shereflected,if

herbeauty

w ere familiar to all the w orld before she came out; and really, w hen

Mr. A dairw ouldinsistoninvitinghisfriendsconstantlytothehouse,

itw asimpossibletokeepthegirlsomew edupintheschoolroomthat

she w ould not be seen and talked

of; and therefore it w as better that

sheshouldgoaw ayforatime.Mr.A dairdidnotlikethearrangement;

he w as very fond of Margaret, and objected to her leaving home; but

Lady Caroline was gently inexorable and got her ow n w ay

as she
generally did.

Sh

edoesnotlookmuchlikethemotherofthetallgirlw homw esaw

at Brighton, as she sits at the head of her breakfast

table in the

daintiest of morning gow ns

a marvelous combination of silk,

muslin and lace and pale pink ribbons

w ith a tiny w hite dog

rep

osinginherlap. Sheisamuchsmallerw omanthanMargaret, and

darker in complexion: it is from her, how ever, that Margaret inherits

the large, appealing hazel eyes, which look at you w ith an infinite

sweetness, w hile their ow ner is perhaps thinking of t

he

m enu

or her

mill iner's bill. Lady Caroline's face is thin and pointed, but her
complexion is sti ll clear, and her soft brown hair is very prettily

arranged. A s she sits w ith her back to the light, w ith a rose

colored

curtain behind her, just tinting her

delicate cheek (for Lady Caroline

isalw ayscarefulofappearance),shelooksquiteayoungw omanstill.

It is Mr. A dair w hom Margaret most resembles. H e is a tall and

exceedingly handsome man, w hose hair and moustache and pointed

beard w ere as golden onc

e as Margaret' s soft tresses, but are now

toned down by a litt le grey. H e has the alert blue eyes that generally

go w ith his fair complexion, and his long limbs are never still for

many minutes together. H is daughter's tranquilli ty seems to have

come from

her mother; certainly it cannot be inherited from the

restless ReginaldA dair.

The third person present at the breakfast

table
and, for the time

being,theonlyvisitorinthehouse

isayoungmanofsevenoreight

and

tw enty, tall, dark, and very spare, w

ith a coal

black beard

trimmed to a point, earnest dark eyes, and a remarkably pleasant and

intell igent expression. H e is not exactly handsome, but he has a face

that attracts one; it is the face of a man w ho has quick perceptions,

great kindliness of hear

t, and a refined and culturedmind. Nobody is

more popular in that county than young Sir Philip Ashley, although

his neighbors grumble sometimes at his absorption in scientific and

philanthropic objects, and think that it w ould be more creditable to

them i

f he went out w ith the hounds a little oftener or w ere a rather

better shot. For, being shortsighted, he w as never particularly fond

eitherofsportorofgamesofskill, andhisinteresthadalwayscentred

on intellectual pu rsuits to a degree that amazed

the more countrified

squires of the neighborhood.

Thepost

bagw asbroughtinw hilebreakfastw asproceeding, andtw o

or three letters were laid before Lady Caroline, w ho, w ith a careless

w ordofapology,openedandreadtheminturn. Shesmiledassheput

them dow n and looked at her husband.

"Thisisanovelexperience,"shesaid. "Forthefirstti meinourlives,

Reginald, here isa formal complaint of our Margaret. "

Sir Philip looked up somew hat eagerly, and Mr. Adair elevated his

eyebrows, stirredhis c

offee, and laughed aloud.

"Wonders w ill never cease," he said. "It is rather refreshing to hear

that our immaculate Margaret has done something naughty. What is

it, Caroline? Is she habitually late for breakfast? A touch of

unpunctualityistheonlyfault

Ieverheardof, andthat, Ibelieve, she

inherits from me. "

"I should be sorry to think that she w as immaculate, " said Lady

Caroline, calmly, "ithassuchanuncomfortablesound. ButMargaret

is generally, I must say, a very tractable child. "

"D o you mean

that her schoolmistress does not find her tractable?"

said Mr. A dair,with amusement. "What has she been doing?"

"N othing very bad. Making friends w ith a governess

pupil, or

something of, that sort

"

"Just w hat a generous

hearted girl w ould be likely to

do!" exclaimed

Sir Philip, w ith asuddenw arm lighting of his dark eyes.

Lady Caroline smiled at him. "The schoolmistress thi nks this girl an
unsuitable friendfor Margaret, and w ants me to interfere," she said.

"Praydonothingofthesort, "saidMr. A dai

r."Iw ouldtrustmyPearl' s

instinct anyw here. Shew ould never make an unsuitable friend!"

"Margarethasw rittentomeherself,"saidLadyCaroline. "Sheseems

unusually excited about the matter. ' D ear mother,' she w rites, 'pray

interpose to prevent Miss Polehampton from doing an unjust and

ungenerousthing.Shedisapprovesofmyfriendshipw ith

dearJanetta

Colwyn, simply because Janetta is poor; and she threatens to punish

Janetta

not me

by sending her home in disgrace. Janetta is a

governess

pupilhere,anditw ouldbeagreattroubletoherifshew ere

sent aw ay. I hope that you w ould rather

take
me

away than let such

an injustice be done. ' "

"My Pearl hits the nail on the head exactly, " said Mr. Adair, w ith

complacency.H eroseashespoke,andbegantow alkabouttheroom.

"Sheisquiteoldenoughtocomehome, Caroline. ItisJunenow, and

he term ends in July. Fetch her home, and invite the litt le governess

too, andyouw illsoonseew hetherornosheistherightsortoffriend

for Margaret. " He laughed in his mellow , genial w ay, and leaned

againstthemantel

piece,strokinghisyellow mou

stacheandglancing

at his w ife.

"Iamnotsurethatthatw ouldbeadvisable, "saidLadyCaroline, w ith

her pretty smile. "Janetta Colwyn: Colwyn? D id not Margaret know

her before she w ent to school? A re there not some Colwyns at

Beaminster? The doctor

yes
, I remember him; don' t you,

Reginald?"

Mr. A dair shookhis head, but SirPhilip looked uphastily.

"Iknowhim

astrugglingmanw ithalargefamily.H isfirstw ifew as

rather w ell

connected, I believe: at any rate she w as related to the

Brands of BrandH a

ll. H e marrieda second time after her death. "

"D o you call that being w ell

connected, Philip?" said Lady Caroline,

w ith gentle reproach; while Mr. A dair laughed and whistled, but

caught himself up immediately andapologized.

"I beg pardon

I forgot w here I
w as: the less any of us have to do

w ith theBrandsof B rand Hall the better, Phil. "

"I know nothingof them, " said Sir Philip, rathergravely.

"N or anybody else"

hastily

"they never live at home, you know.

So this girl is a connection of theirs?"

"Perhaps

notaverysuitablefriend: MissPolehamptonmayberight, "

said Lady Caroline. "I suppose I must go over to Brighton and see

Margaret. "

"Bring her back w ith you, " said Mr. A dair, recklessly. "She has had

quiteenoughofschoolbythistime:sheisnearly

eighteen,isn'tshe?"

ButLadyCarolinesmilinglyrefusedtodecideanythinguntilshehad
herself interview ed Miss Polehampton. She asked her husband to

orderthecarriageforheratonce,andretiredtosummonhermaidand

array herself for the journey.

"Y ou w on' t go to

day, w ill you, Philip?" said Mr. A dair, almost

appealingly."Ishallbeallalone,andmyw ifew illnotperhapsreturn

until to

morrow

there's no saying. "

"Thank you, I shall be most pleased to stay," answered Sir Philip,

cordially. A fter

amoment' spause, headded,w ithsomethingverylike

a touch of shyness

"I have not seen

your daughter since she w as

tw elve years old. "

"H aven' tyou?"saidMr.A dair,w ithreadyinterest."Youdon' tsayso!

Pretty litt le girl shew as then! D idn' t you thin

k so?"

"I thought her the loveliest child I had ever seen in all my life," said

Sir Philip, w ith curious devoutness of manner.

H esaw LadyCarolinejustasshew asstartingforthetrain, w ithman

and maid in attendance, and Mr. Adair handing her into the

carriage

and gallantly offering to accompany her if she liked. "N ot at all

necessary," said Lady Caroline, with an indulgent smile. "I shall be

home to dinner. Take care of my husband, Philip, and don' t let him

be dull. "

"If they are making Margaret unhapp

y, be sure you bring her back

w ith you," w ere Mr. Adair's last w ords. Lady Caroline gave him a

kindbutinscrutablelitt lesmileandnodasshew aswhirledaw ay. Sir

Philip thought to himself that she looked like a woman w ho w ould

take her ow n course in sp

ite of advice or recommendation from her

husbandor anybody else.

H esmiledonceortw iceasthedaypassedonatherpartinginjunction

to him not to let her husband be dull. H e had known the A dairs for

many years, and had never know n Reginald A dair dull

under any

circumstances. He w as too full of interests, of "fads," some people

called them, ever to be dull. H e took Sir Philip round the picture

gallery, round the stables, to the kennels, to the flower

garden, to his

ow nstudio(wherehepaintedinoilsw

henhehadnothingelsetodo)

w ithnever

flaggingenergyandanimation. SirPhilip'sinterestslayin

differentgrooves,buthew asquitecapableofsympathizingw ithMr.

A dair's interests, too. The day passed pleasantly, and seemed rather

short for all t

hat the tw o men w anted to pack into it; although from

time to time Mr. A dair w ould say, half

impatiently, "I w onder how

Caroline is gettin g on!" or "I hope she'll bring Margaret back w ith
her!ButIdon' texpectit, youknow.Carryw asalw aysagreatonef

or

education and that sort of thing. "

"Is Miss A dair intellectual

too?" asked Sir Philip, with respect.

Mr. A dairbrokeintoasuddenlaugh. "Intellectual?O urD aisy?

our

Pearl?" he said. "Wait until you see her, then ask the question if you

like. "

"I am a

fraid I don' t quite understand. "

"O f course you don' t. It is the partiality of a fond father that speaks,

my dear fellow. I only meant that these young, fresh, pretty girls put

such questions out of one' s head. "

"She must be very pretty then, " said Sir Phi

lip, w itha smile.

H e had seen a great many beautiful w omen, and told himself that he

did not care for beauty. Fashionable, talkative women w ere his

abomination. H e had no sisters, but he loved his mother very dearly;

and upon her he had founded a very hig

h ideal of w omanhood. He

had begun to think vaguely, of late, that he ought to marry: duty

demanded it of him, and Sir Philip w as alw ays attentive, if not

obedient,tothevoiceofduty. Buthew asnotinclinedtomarryagirl

outoftheschoolroom, orag

irlw how asaccustomedtotheenervating

luxury (as he considered it) of Helmsley Court: he w anted an

energetic, sensible, large

hearted, and large

minded w oman w ho

w ouldbehisrighthand,hisfirstministerofstate.SirPhilipw asfairly

w ealthy, but by

no means enormously so; and he had other uses for

his w ealth than the buying of pictures and keeping up stables and

kennels at an alarming expense. If Miss A dair w ere so pretty, he

mused, it was just as well that she w as not at home, for, of course, it

wa
s possible that he might find a lovely face an attraction: and much

ashelikedLadyCaroline, hedidnotw antparticularlytomarryLady

Caroline's daughter. That she treated him w ith great consideration,

and that he had once overheard her speak of him as

"the most

eligible

parti

oftheneighborhood,"hadalreadyputhimalittleonhis

guard.LadyCarolinew asnovulgar, match

makingmother, heknew

that w ell enough; but she w as in some respects a thoroughly w orldly

w oman, and Philip A shleyw as anessenti

ally unw orldly man.

A shew entupstairstodressfordinnerthatevening, hew asstruckby

the fact that a door stood open that he had never seen opened before:

a door into a pretty, w ell

lighted, pink and white room, the ideal

apartment for a young girl.

The evening w as chilly, and rain had

begun to fall, so a bright little fire w as burning in the steel grate, and

casting a cheerful glow over w hite sheepskin rugs and rose

colored

curtains. A maid seemed to be busying herself with some w hite

material

all ga

uze and lace it looked

and another servant w as, as

Sir Philip passed, entering w ith a great w hite vase filled w ith red

roses.

"D otheyexpectvisitorsto

night?"t houghttheyoungman, whoknew

enoughofthehousetobeaw arethattheroomw asnotoneing

eneral

use."Adairsaidnothingaboutit,butperhapssomepeoplearecoming

from tow n."

Abudgetoflettersw asbroughttohimatthatmoment,andinreading
and answ ering them he did not note the sound of carriage

w heels on

the drive, nor the bustle of a

n arrival in the house. Indeed, he left

himself so little ti me that he had to dress in extraordinary haste, and

w ent dow nstairs at last in the conviction that he was unpardonably

late.

But apparently he w asw rong.

For the drawing

room w as tenanted by

one figure only

that of a

young lady in evening dress. N either Lady Caroline nor Mr. Adair

had appeared upon the scene; but on the hearthrug, by the small

crackling fire

which, in deference to the chilliness of an English

June evening, had been lighted

sto

od a tall, fair, slender girl, w ith

pale complexion, and soft, loosely

coiled masses of golden hair. She

w as dressed in pure w hite, a soft loose gown of Indian silk, trimmed

w ith the most delicate lace: it w as high to the milk

w hite throat, but

showed the

rounded curves of the finely

moulded arm to the elbow.

She w ore no ornaments, but a w hite rose w as fastened into the lace

frill of her dress a t her neck. A s she turned her face tow ards the new

comer, Sir Philip suddenly felt himself abashed. It w as not tha

t she

w assobeautiful

inthosefirstfe w momentshescarcelythoughther

beautiful at all

but that she produced on him an impression of

serious, virginal grace and innocence w hich w as almost

disconcerting. Her pure complexion, her grave, serene eyes, her

gracefulw ayofmovingassheadvancedalittletoreceivehimstirred

him to more than admiration

to something not unlike aw e. She

looked young; but it w as youth in perfection: there w as some

marvelous finish , delicacy, polish, w hich one does not usually

associate w ith extreme youth.

"Y ou are Sir Philip A shley, I think?" she said, offering him her slim

cool handw ithout embarrassment.

"Y ou do not remember me, perhaps, but I remember you perfectly

w ell, I am Margaret A dair."

C HAPTER III.

AT

HELMSLEY C OURT.

"LadyCarolinehasbroughtyouback, then?"saidSirPhilip, afterhis

first pause of astonishment.

"Y es," said Margaret, serenely. "Ihave been expelled. "

"Expelled!

You?

"

"Y es,indeed,Ihave, "saidthegirl, w ithafaintlyamusedlittle

smile.
"A nd so has my great friend, Janetta Colwyn. H ere she is: Janetta, I

am telling Sir Philip A shley that we have been expelled, and he w ill

not believe me. "

Sir Philip turned in some curiosity to see the girl of w hom he had

heard for the first time th

at morning. H e had not noticed before that

she w as present. H e saw a brown litt le creature, w ith eyes that had

been sw ollen w ith crying until they were w ell

nigh invisible, small,

unremarkable features, and a mouth that w as inclined to quiver.

Margaret mig

ht afford to be serene, but to this girl expulsion from

school had evidently been a sad trouble. H e threw all the more

kindness and gentleness into his voice and look as hespoke toher.

Janettamighthavefeltalittleaw kw ardifshehadnotbeensoentir

ely

absorbed by her ow n w oes. She had never set foot before in half so

grand a house as this of Helmsley Court, nor had she ever dined late

or spoken to a gentleman in an evening coat in all her previous life.

The size and the magnificence of the room w oul

d perhaps have
oppressed her if she had been fully aw are of them. But she was for

the moment very much w rapped up in her ow n affairs, and scarcely

stoppedtothinkofthenovelsituationinw hichshefoundherself.The

only thing that had startled her w as

the attention paid to her dress by

Margaret and Margaret' s maid. Janetta w ould have put on her

afternoonblackcashmereandlittle silverbrooch,andw ouldhavefelt

herselfperfectlyw elldressed;butMargaret, afteralittleconsultat ion

w ith the very gr

and young person w ho condescended to brush Miss

Colwyn' s hair, had herself brought to Janetta's room a dress of black

lace overcherry

colored silk, and had begged her toput it on.

"Y ouw illfeelsohotdow nstairsifyoudon' tputonsomethingcool, "

Marg

aret had said. "There is a fire in the draw ing

room: papa likes

theroomsw arm.Mydresseswouldnothavefittedyou, Iamsomuch

taller than you; but mamma is just your height, and although you are

thinner perhaps
But I don' t know : the dress fits you pe

rfectly.

Look in theglass, Janet; you arequite splendid. "

Janetta looked and blushed a little

not because she thought herself

at all splendid, but because the dress showed her neck and arms in a

w ay no dress had ever done before. "O ught it to be

open

lik

this?" she said, vaguely. "D o you w ear your dresses like this w hen

you are at home?"

"Mine are high, " said Margaret. "I am not ' out, ' you know. But you

are older than I, and you used to teach

I think w e may consider

thatyou

are
' out, '"sheadded,w ith

alittlelaugh. "Y oulookverynice,

Janetta: you have such pretty arms! N ow I must go and dress, and I

w ill call for youw hen I am ready to go dow n."

Janettafeltdecidedlydoubtfulastow hethershew erenotagreatdeal

too grand for the occasion; but s

he altered her mind w hen she saw

Margaret' s dainty silk and lace, and Lady Caroline's exquisite

brocade; and she felt herself quite unw orthy to take Mr. A dair's

offered arm w hen dinner was announced and her host politely

convoyed her to the dining

room. Sh

e w ondered whether he knew

that she w as only a little governess

pupil, and w hether he w as not

angry w ith her for being the cause of his daughter's abrupt departure

fromschool.A samatteroffact, Mr. A dairknew herpositionexactly,

and w as very much amu

sed by the w hole affair; also, as it had

procured him the pleasure of his daughter's return home, he had an

illogical inclina ti on to be pleased also w ith Janetta. "A s Margaret is

so fond of her, there must be something in her," he said to himself,

w ith a c

ritical glance at the girl' s delicate features and big dark eyes.

"I'll draw heroutat dinner."

H e tried his best, and made himself so agreeable and amusing that

Janetta lost a good deal of her shyness, and forgot her troubles. She

had a quick tongue of h

er ow n, as everybody at Miss Polehampton' s

w asaw are;andshesoonfoundthatshehadnotlostit.Shew asagood

dealsurprisedtofindthatnotaw ordwassaidatthedinnertableabout

the cause of Margaret' s return: in her ow n home it w ould have been

he subject of the evening; it would have been discussed from every

point of view, and she w ould probably have been reduced to tears

before the first hour was over. Buthere itw asevident that the matter

w as not considered of great importance. Margaret loo

ked serene as

ever, and joined quietly in talk which w as alarmingly unlike Miss

Polehampton' s improving conversation: talk about county gaieties

and county magnates: gossip about neighbors

gossip of a harmless
although frivolous type, for Lady Caroline nev

er allow ed any talk at

her table that w as anything but harmless, about fashions, about old

china, aboutmusicandart.Mr.A dairw aspassionatelyfondofmusic,

and w hen he found that Miss Colwyn really knew something of it he

w as in his element. They disc

oursed of fugues, sonatas, concertos,

quartettes, and trios, until even Lady Caroline raised her eyebrows a

litt le at the very technical nature of the conversation; and Sir Philip

exchanged a congratulatory smile w ith Margaret over her friend' s

success. Fo

r the delight of finding a congenial spirit had brought the

crimsonintoJanetta'solivecheeksandthebrilliancetoherdarkeyes:

she had looked insignificant w hen she w ent in to dinner; she w as

splendidly handsome at dessert. Mr. A dair noticed her flas

hing,

transitory beauty, and said to himself that Margaret' s taste w as

unimpeachable; it w as just like his ow n; he had complete confidence

in Margaret.

When the ladies w ent back to the draw ing

room, Sir Philip turned

w ith a look of only half

-

disguised curi

osity to his host. "Lady

Caroline brought her back then?" he said, longing to ask questions,

yet hardly know ing how to frame them aright.

Mr. A dair gave a great laugh. "It' s been the oddest thing I ever heard

of," he said, in a tone of enjoyment. "Margaret

takes a fancy to that

litt le black

eyed girl

a nice little thing, too, don' t you think?

and

nothing must serve but that her favorite must w alk w ith her, sit by

her, and so on

you know the romantic w ay girls have? The

schoolmistress in terfered, said it was

not proper, and so on; forbade

it. Miss Colw yn w ould have obeyed, it seems, but Margaret took the

bitinaquietw aybetw eenherteeth.MissColwynw asorderedtotake

her meals at a side table: Margaret insisted on taking her meals there

too. Theschool

wasthrownintoconfusion. A tlastMissPolehampton

decidedthatthebestw ayoutofthedifficultyw asfir sttocomplainto

us, and then to send Miss Colwyn home, straight aw ay. She w ould

not send

Margaret

home, you know!"

"Thatw asvery hard on Miss Colw

yn, " said Sir Philip, gravely.

"Y es, horribly hard. So Margaret, as you heard, appealed to her

mother,andwhenLadyCarolinearrived,shefoundthatnotonlyw ere

Miss Colwyn' s boxes packed, but Margaret' s as w ell; and that

Margaret had declared that if h

er friend w as sent away for what w as

after all

her
fault, she w ould not stay an hour in the house. Miss

Polehampton w as w eeping: the girls w ere in revolt, the teachers in

despair, so my w ife thought the best w ay out of the difficul ty w as to

bring both girl

s aw ay at once, and settle it w ith Miss Colwyn's

relations afterwards. The joke is that Margaret insists on it that she

has been ' expelled. ' "

"So she told me. "

"Theschoolmistr esssaidsomethingofthatkind,youknow .Caroline

says the w oman

entirely lost her temper and made an exhibition of

herself. Carolinew as glad toget our girl aw ay. But, of course, it' s all

nonsense about being ' expelled' as a punishment; she w as leaving of

her ow n accord."

"O ne could hardly imagine punishment in connec

tion w ith her," said

Sir Philip, w armly.

"N o, she' sanice

-
lookinggirl, isn'tshe?andherlittle friendisagood

foil, poor little thing. "

"This affair may prove of some serious inconvenience to Miss

Colwyn, I suppose?"

"O h,youmaydependuponit,she

won' tbetheloser, "saidMr.A dair,

hastily. "We'llseeaboutthat.O fcourseshew illnotsufferanyinjury

through mydaughter's friendship for her."

Sir Philip w as not so sure about it. In spite of his intense admiration

for Margaret' s beauty, it occur

red to him that the romantic

partisanship of the girl w ith beauty, position, and wealth for her less

fortunate sister h ad not been attended w ith very brilliant resul ts. N o

doubtMissA dair,rearedinluxuryandindulgence, didnotintheleast

realize the

harm done to the poor governess

pupil's future by her

summary dismiss al from Miss Pol ehampton' s boarding

school. To
Margaret, anything that the schoolmistress chose to say or do

matteredlitt le;toJanettaColwyn,itmightsomedaymeanprosperity

or adver

sity of a very serious kind. Sir Philip did not quite believe in

thecompensationsoeasilypromise dbyMr. A dair.Hemadeamental

note of Miss Colw yn' s condition and prospects, and said to himself

thathew ouldnotforgether.A ndthismeantagooddeal

fromabusy

man like Sir Philip A shley.

Meanwhile there had been another conversation going on in the

drawing

room betw een the three ladies. Margaret put her arm

affectionately round Janetta's w aist as they stood by the hearthrug,

and looked at her mother

w ith a smile. Lady Caroline sank into an

easy

chairontheothersideofthefireplace,andcontemplatedthetw o

girls.

"ThisisbetterthanClaremontH ouse,isitnot, Janet?"saidMargaret.

"Indeed it is," Janetta answered, gratefully.

"Y ou found the w ay

to papa' s heart by your talk about music

did

she not, mamma? A nd does not this dress suit herbeautifully?"

"Itw antsalittleal terationinthesle eve," saidLadyCaroline, w iththe

placidityw hichJanettahadalw aysattributedtoMargaretasaspecial

irtue, but w hich she now found w as merely characteristic of the

house and family in general, "but Markham can do that to

morrow.

Therearesomepeoplecomingintheevening,andthesleevew illlook

better shortened."

The remark sounded a little inconseque

nt in Janetta's ear, but

Margaret understood and assented. It meant that Lady Caroline w as

on the w hole pleased w ith Janetta, and did not object to introducing

her to her friends. Margaret gave her mother a little smile over
Janetta'shead,w hilethatyoun

gpersonw asgatheringuphercourage

in tw ohands, so to speak, before addressing LadyCaroline.

"I am very much obliged to you, " she said at last, w ith a thrill of

gratitude in her sweet voice w hich w as very pleasant to the ear.

"But

I w as thinking

w hat

time w ould be the most convenient for

me to go home to

morrow ?"

"H ome?ToBeaminster?"saidMargaret. "Butyouneednotgo, dear;

you canw rite a note and tell them that you are staying here. "

"Y es, my dear; I am sure Margaret cannot part w ith you yet, " sa

id

Lady Caroline, amiably.

"Thank you; it is most kind of you, " Janetta answ ered, her voice
shaking. "ButImustaskmyfatherw hetherIcanstay

andhearw hat

he says; Miss Polehamptonw ill havew ritten to him, and

"

"A nd he w ill be very glad that w e hav

e rescued you from her

clutches,"saidMargaret, w ithasofttriumphantli ttlelaugh. "Mypoor

Janetta! Whatw esuffered at herhands!"

Lady Caroline lying back in her easy chair, w ith the candle light

gleaminguponhersilverygreyandw hitebrocadew ith

itstouchesof

soft pink, and the diamonds flashing on her w hite hands, so calmly

crosseduponthehandleofherivoryfan,didnotfeelquitesotranquil

as she looked. It crossed her mind that Margaret w as acting

inconsiderately. This little Miss Colwyn

had her living to earn; it

w ould be no kindness to unfit her for her profession. So, when she

spoke itw asw itha shade more decision than usual in her tones.

"We w ill drive you over to Beaminster to

-

morrow , my dear Miss

Colwyn,andyoucanthenseeyourf

amily, andaskyourfatherifyou

mayspendafew daysw ithMargaret. IdonotthinkthatMr. Colw yn

w ill refuse us," she said, graciously. "I wonder w hen those men are

coming, Margaret. Supposeyouopenthepianoandletushavealittle

music. You sing,

do you not?"

"Y es, a little, " said Janetta.

"A little!" exclaimed Margaret, w ith contempt. "She has a delightful

voice, mamma. Comeandsingatonce, Janetta,darling, andastonish

mamma. "

LadyCarolinesmiled. Shehadheardagreatmanysingersinherday

and did not expect to be astonished. A little governess

pupil, an

under

teacher in a boarding
-

school! Dear Margaret' s enthusiasm

certainly carried her away.

Butw henJanettasang,LadyCarolinew as,afterall, rathersurprised.

The girl had a remarkably

sweet and rich contralto voice, and it had

been w ell trained; and, moreover, she sang w ith feeling and passion

w hichw eresomew hatunusualinonesoyoung. Itseemedasifsome

hidden pow er, some latent characteristic came out in her singing

because it fou

nd no other w ay of expressing itself. N either Lady

Caroline nor Margaret understood w hy Janetta's voice moved them

so much; Sir Philip, who came in w ith his host while the music w as

goingon,heardandw ascharmedalsow ithoutquiteknow ingw hy;it

w asMr.

A dairalonew hosemusicalknow ledgeandexperienceofthe

w orldenabledhim, feather

headedasinsomerespectshew as,tolay

his finger directly on the salient features of Janetta's singing.

"It' snothervoicealtogether,youknow, "hesaidafterwards

toPhilip

A shley, in a moment of confidence; "it' s soul. She's got more of that

commodity than is good for a w oman. It makes her singing lovely,

you know

brings tears into one's eyes, and all that sort of thing

but upon my honor I'm thankful that Margaret

hasn't got a voice like

that! It' s w omen of that kind that are either heroines of virtue

or go

to the devil. They are alw ays in extremes."

"Then w e may promise ourselves some excitement in w atching Miss

Colwyn' s career," said Sir Philip, dryly.

A fter Janet

ta, Margaret sang; she had a sweet mezzo

soprano voice,

of no great strength or compass, but perfectly trained and very

pleasing to the ear. The sort of voice, Sir Philip thought, that w ould

be soothing to the nerves of a tired man in his ow n house. Wherea

s,

Janetta's singing had something impassioned in it w hich disturbed

and excited instead of soothing. But he w as quite ready to admire

w hen Margaret called on him for admiration. They w ere sitting

togetheronasofa,andJanetta,whohadjustfinishedone

ofhersongs,

w as talking to, or being talked to, by Mr. A dair. Lady Caroline had

taken up a review.

"Is not Miss Colwyn' s voice perfectly lovely?" Margaret asked, w ith

shining eyes.

"It is very sw eet. "

"D on' tyouthinkshelooksvery

nice?"

Margaretwashungeringfor

admiration of herfriend.

"She is a very pretty girl. Y ou are very fond of eachother?"

"O h, yes, devoted. I am so glad I succeeded!" said the girl, w ith a

great sigh.
"In getting heraway from the school?"

"Y es."

"Y ou thi

nk itw as for her good?"

Margaret openedher lovely eyes.

"For her good?

to come here instead of staying in that close

uncomfortable house to give music lessons, and bear Miss

Polehampton' s snubs?

" It had evidently never occurred to her

that the change c

ould be anythingbut beneficial to Janetta.

"Itisverypleasantforher,nodoubt, "saidSirPhilip, smilinginspite

of his disapproval. "I only w ondered w hether it w as a good

preparation for the lifeofhard workw hich probably lies before her."
H e saw

that Margaret colored, and w ondered w hether she w ould be

offended by his suggestion. A fter a moment' s pause, she answered,

gravely, but quite gently

"I never thought of it in that w ay before, exactly. I w ant to keep her

here, so that she should never have

to w ork hard at all. "

"Would she consent to that?"

"Whynot?" saidMargaret.

SirPhilipsmiledandsaidnomore.Itw ascurious,hesaidtohimself,

to see how little conception Margaret had of lives unlike and outside

herow n.A ndJanetta'sbravebutsen

sitivelitt leface,w ithitsresolute

browsandlipsandbrillianteyes,gavepromiseofadeterminationand

an originality w hich, he felt convinced, w ould never allow her to

become a mere plaything or appendage of a wealthy household, as

Margaret A dair se

emed to expect. But his w ords had made an

impression. A t night, w hen Lady Caroline and her daughter were

standing in the charming little room w hich had alw ays been

appropriatedtoMargaret' suse,shespoke,w iththeunconscioushabit

of saying frankly anyt

hing that had occurred to her, of Sir Philip' s

remarks.

"Itw assoodd,"shesaid;"SirPhilipseemedtothinkthatitw ouldbe

bad for Janetta to stay here, mamma. Why should it be bad for her,

mamma, dear?"

"I don' t think it will be at all bad for her to

spend a day or two w ith

us,darling, "saidLadyCaroline,keepingsomew hatcarefulwatchon

Margaret' s face as she spoke. "But perhaps it had better be by

and

bye. Y ou know she w ants to go home to

morrow , and we must not

keep her aw ay from her duties or h

er ow n sphere of life."
"N o, "Margaretanswered, "butherdutiesw illnotalw ayskeepherat

home, youknow ,mamma, dear. "

"I suppose not, my dearest, " said Lady Caroline, vaguely, but in the

caressing tone to w hich Margaret w as accustomed. "G o to bed, my

sweetest one, and w ew ill talk of all these things to

morrow . "

Meanwhile Janetta w as w ondering at the luxury of the room w hich

had been allottedto her, and thinkingover theevents of the pastday.

WhenatapatthedoorannouncedMargaret' sappearanceto

saygood

night, Janetta w as standing before the long looking

glass, apparently

inspectingherselfbythelightoftherose

tintedw axcandlesinsilver

sconcesw hichw erefixedoneithersideofthemirror. Shew asinher

dressing
-

gow n,andherlonganda

bundanthairfelloverhershoulder

in a great curly mass.

"O h, MissVanity!"criedMargaret,w ithmoregaietyoftonethanw as

usual w ith her, "are you admiring your pretty hair?"

"I w as thinking," said Janetta, w ith the intensity w hich often

characterize

d her speech, "that

now

I understood you

now I know

w hy you w ere so different from other girls, so sweet, so calm and

beautiful! Y ou have lived in this lovely place all your life! It is like a

fairy palace

a dream

house
to me; and you are the queen of it,

Margaret

a princess of dreams!"

"I hope I shall have something more than dreams to reign over some

day, " said Margaret, putting her arms round her friend' s neck. "A nd

w hateverIamqueenover,youmustsharemyqueendom, Janet.You

knowhow fondIamofyo

howIw antyoutostayw ithmealw ays

and be my friend."

"I shall always be your friend

alw ays, to the last day of my life!"

said Janetta, w ith fervor. The tw o made a pretty picture, reflected in

thelongmirror;thetall,fairMargaret, stillinhersof

tw hitesilkfrock,

w ith her arm round the smaller figure of the dark girl w hose curly

massesofhairhalfcoveredherpinkcottondressing

-
gow n, andw hose

brown facew as upturned so lovingly to her friend' s.

"A ndIamsureitw illbegoodforyoutostay

w ithme, "saidMargaret,

answering an unspokenobjection in her mind.

"G oodforme?Itisdelicious

itisl ovely!"criedJanetta, rapturously.

"I have never had anything so nice in my w hole life. D ear Margaret,

youaresogoodandsokind

iftherew ereonl

yanythingthatIcould

doforyouinreturn!PerhapssomedayIshallhavethechance, andif

ever I have

then

you shall see whether I am true to my friend or

not!"

Margaretkissedher,w ithalittlesmileatJanetta'senthusiasm, which

w as so far differe

nt from the modes of expression customary at

H elmsley Court,as to be almost amusing.

C HAPTER IV.

ON THE ROA D.

Miss Polehampton

had, of course, w ritten to Mr. and Mrs. Colwyn

w hen she made up her mind that Janetta w as to be removed from

school; and tw o or three letters h ad been interchanged before that

eventful day on w hich Margaret declared that if Janetta w ent she

should go too.

Margaret had been purposely kept in the dark until

almost the last m oment, for Miss Polehampton did not in the least

w ish to make a scandal, and annoyed as she w as by Miss A dair's

avow ed preference for Janetta, she had arranged a neat litt le plan by

w hich

Miss Colw yn was to go aw ay "for change of air," and be

transferred to a school at Worthing kept by a relation of her ow n at

thebeginningofthefollow ingterm. Theseplanshadbeenupsetbya

foolish and ill

judged letter from Mrs. Colwyn to her stepdaug

hter,

w hich Janetta had not been able to keep from Margaret' s eyes. This

letter w as full of reproaches to Janetta for giving so much trouble to

her friends; "for, of course, " Mrs. Colwyn w rote, "Miss

Polehampton' s concern for your health is all a blind in

order to get

you aw ay: and if it hadn't been for Miss A dair taking you up, she

w ouldhavebeenonlytoogladtokeepyou.Butknow ingMissA dair's

position, sheseesveryclearlythatit isn'tfitforyoutobefriendsw ith

her, and so she wants to send yo

u aw ay. "

This w as in the main true, but Janetta, in the blithe confidence of

youth, w ouldneverhavediscovereditbutforthatlet ter.Togethershe

and Margaret consulted over it, for w hen Margaret saw Janetta

crying, shealmostforcedtheletterfromher

hand;andthenitwasthat

Miss A dair vindicated her claim to social superiority. She w ent

straight to Miss Polehampton and demanded that Janetta should

remain;andw hentheschoolmistres srefusedtoalterherdecision,she

calmly replied that in that cas

she

should go home too. Miss

Polehampton w as an obstinate w oman, and w ould not concede the

point; and Lady Caroline, on learning the state of affairs, at once

perceivedthatitw asimpossibletoleaveMargaretattheschoolw here

open w arfare had been de

clared. She accordingly brought both girls

aw ay w ith her, arranging to send Janetta to her ow n home next

morning.

"Y ou w ill stay to luncheon, dear, and I w ill drive you over to

Beaminster at three o'clock, " she said to Janetta at breakfast. "N o

doubt you a

re anxious to seeyourow npeople."

Janetta looked as if she might find it difficul t to reply, but Margaret

interposed a remark

as usualat the right moment.

"Wew illpracticeourduetsthismor ning

ifJanettali kes,thatis;and

w e can have a walk in the

garden too. Shall w e have the landau,

mamma?"

"The victoria, I think, dear," said Lady Caroline, placidly. "Y our

father w ants you to ride w ith him this afternoon, so I shall have the

pleasure of MissColwyn' s societyin my drive."

Margaret assented; but Ja

netta became suddenly aware, by a flash of

keen feminine intuition, that Lady Caroline had some reason for

w ishing to go w ith her alone, and that she had purposely made the

arrangement that she spoke of. H ow ever, there w as nothing to

displease her in this,

for Lady Caroline had been most kind and

consideratetoher, sofar, andshew asinnocentlydisposedtobelieve

in the cordiality and sincerity of every one w ho behaved w ith

common civility.

So she spent a pleasant morning, singing w ith Margaret, loiterin

about the garden w ith Mr. Adair, w hile Margaret and Sir Philip

gathered roses, and enjoying to the full all the sweet influences of

peace, refinement, and prosperity by which she was surrounded.

Margaret left her in the afternoon w ith rather a hasty kiss

, and an

assurance that she w ould see her again at dinner. Janetta tried to

remind her that by that time she w ould have left the Court, but

Margaretdidnotorw ouldnothear.Thetearscameintothegirl' seyes

as her friend disappeared.

"N ever mind, dear

, " said Lady Caroline, w ho w as observing her

closely, "Margaret has forgotten at w hat hour you w ere going and I

w ould not remind her

it w ould spoil her pleasure in her ride. We

w ill arrange for you to come to us another day w hen you have seen

your friends

athome. "

"Thank you, " said Janetta. "It w as only that she did not seem to

remember that Iw as going

I had meant to say good

bye. "

"Exactly.ShethinksthatIamgoingtobringyoubackthisafternoon.

Wew illtalkaboutitasw ego,dear.Supposeyouw ere

toputonyour

hat now . The carriage w ill be here in ten minutes."

Janetta prepared for her departure in a somew hat bew ildered spirit.

She did not know precisely w hat Lady Caroline meant. She even felt

alittlenervousasshetookherplaceinthevictori

aandcastalastlook

at the stately house in w hich she had spent some nineteen or twenty
pleasant hours. Itw asLady Caroline who spoke first.

"We shall miss your singing to

night, " she said, amiably. "Mr. A dair

w aslookingforwardtosomemoreduets.A n

othertime, perhaps

"

"I am alw ays pleased to sing, " said Janetta, brightening at this

address.

"Y es

ye

es,"saidLadyCaroline, w ithadoubtfullittledrawl. "N o

doubt:onealwayslikestodow hatonecandosow ell;but

Iconfess

I am not so musical as

my husband or my daughter. I must explain

w hy dear Margaret did not say good bye to you, Miss Colwyn. I
allow ed her to remain in the belief that she w as to see you again to

night, in order that she might not be depressed during her ride by the

thought of p

arting w ith you. It is alw ays my principle to make the

lives of those dear to me as happy as possible, " said Margaret' s

mother, piously.

"A nd if Margaret had been depressed during her ride, Mr. Adair and

Sir Philip might have suffered some depression also,

and that w ould

be a great pity. "

"O h, yes, " said Janetta. But she felt chilled, w ithoutknow ing why.

"I must take you into my confidence," said Lady Caroline, in her

softest voice. "Mr. A dair has plans for our dear Margaret. Sir Philip

A shley's property a

djoins our ow n: he is of good principles, kind

hearted, andintellectual:heiswelloff, nice

looking,andofasuitable
age

headmiresMargaretverymuch.Ineedsaynomore,Iamsure."

A gain

she looked keenly at Janetta's face, but she read there nothing

but interest and surprise.

"O h

does Margaret know?" she asked.

"Shefeelsmorethansheknow s, "saidLadyCaroline,discreetly. "She

is in the first stag e of

of

emotion. I did not w ant the af

ternoon's

arrangements to be interfered w ith."

"O h, no! especially on

my

account, " said Janetta, sincerely.

"When I go home I shall talk quietly to Margaret," pursued Lady

Caroline,"andtellherthatyouw illcomebackanotherday,thatyour

dutiescalled

youhome

theydo, Iamsure, dearMissColwyn

and

that you could not return w ith mew hen you were so much w anted. "

"I'm afraid I am not much w anted, " said Janetta, with a sigh; "but I

daresay it is myduty to go home

"

"I am sure it is," Lady Caroline de

clared; "and duty is so high and

holy a thing, dear, that youw ill never regret theperformance of it. "
It occurred dimly to Janetta at that point that Lady Caroline's view s

of duty might possibly differ from her ow n; but she did not venture

to say so.

"A n

d, of course, youw ill never repeat to Margaret

"

Lady Caroline did not complete her sentence. The coachman

suddenly checked the horses' speed: for some unknow n reason he

actuallystoppedshortintheverymiddleofthecountryroadbetw een

H elmsley Court

and Beaminster. His mistress uttere d a little cry of

alarm.

"What is the matter, Steel?"

The footman dismounted and touched his hat.

"I'm afraid there has been an accident, my lady, " he said, as

apologetically, as if he were responsible for the accident.

"O h! N othing horrible, I hope!" said Lady Caroline, drawing out her

smelling

bot tle.

"It' sacarriageaccident, mylady. Leastw ays, acab.The' orseislying

right across the road, my lady. "

"Speak to the people, Steel, " said her ladyship, w ith great digni

ty.

"They must not be allow ed to block up the road in this w ay. "

"May I get out?" said Janetta, eagerly. "There is a lady lying on the

path,andsomepeoplebathingherface.N owtheyareliftingherup

Iamsuretheyoughtnottoliftherupinthatw ay

h, please,Imust

gojustforoneminute!"A nd,w ithoutwaitingforareply, shestepped,

out of the victoria and sped to the side of the w oman w ho had been

hurt.

"V eryimpulsiveandundisciplined, "saidLadyCarolinetoherself,as

sheleanedbackandhel

dthesmelling

bottletoherow ndelicatenose.

"I am glad I have got her out of the house so soon. Those men w ere

w ildabouthersinging. SirPhilipdisapprovedofherpresence,buthe

w as charmed by her voice, I could see that; and poor, dear Reginald

wa

s positively absurd about her voice. A nd dear Margaret

does

not

sing sow ell

it is no use pretending that she does

and Sir

Philip is trembling on the verge

oh, yes, I am sure that I have been

veryw ise. What is that girl doing now ?"

The victoria moved forw

ard a little, so that Lady Caroline could

obtainaclearerviewofwhatw asgoingon.Thevehiclew hichcaused

the obstruction

evidently a hired fly from an inn

w as uninjured,

but the horse had fallen betw een the shafts and w ould never rise

again. The occu

pants of the fly

a lady, and a much younger man,

perhapsherson

hadgotout, andtheladyhadthenturnedfaint, Lady

Caroline heard, but w as not inanyw ay hurt. Janettaw askneelingby

the side of the lady

kneeling in the dust, w ithout any regard to the

freshnessofhercottonfrock, bythew ay

andhadalreadyplacedher

intherightpositi on, andw asorderingthehalf

-

dozenpeoplew hohad

collected to stand back and give her air. Lady Caroline w atched her

movements and gestures w ith placid amusement, an

d w ent so far as

tosendSteelw iththeofferofhersmellingsalts ;butasthisofferw as

rejectedshefeltthatnothingelsecouldbedone.Soshesatandlooked

on critically.

The w oman

Lady Caroline w as hardly inclined to call her a lady,

although she

did not exactly know w hy

w as at present of a ghastly

paleness, but her features were finely cut, and show ed traces of

formerbeauty.Herhairw asgrey,w ithrebelliouswavesinit, buther

eyebrows w ere still dark. She was dressed in black, w ith a good dea

of lace about her; and on her ungloved hand Lady Caroline's keen

sight enabled her to distinguish so me very handsome diamond rings.

Theeffectofthecostumew asalittlespoiledbyalargegaudyfan, of

violentrainbow hues,w hichhungatherside;and

perhapsitw asthis

article of adornment w hich decided Lady Caroline in her opinion of

thew oman'ssocialstatus.Butaboutthemanshew asequallypositive

in a different w ay. H e

was

a gentleman: there could be no doubt of

that. She put up her eye

glass a

nd gazed at him w ith interest. She

almost thought that she had seen him somew here before.

A handsome man, indeed, and a gentleman; but, oh, what an ill

temperedone, apparently!H ewasdark,w ithfinefeatures, andblack

hair w ith a slight inclination to w

ave or curl (as far at least as could

be judged w hen the extremely w ell

cropped state of his head w as

taken into consideration); and from these indications Lady Caroline

judgedhimtobe"thew oman' s"son.H ew astall, muscular,andactive

looking:itw as

thew ayinw hichhisblackeyebrow sw erebentabove

his eyes w hich made the observer think him ill

tempered, for his

manner and his w ords expressed anxiety, not anger. But that frow n,

w hich must have been habitual, gave him a distinctly ill

humored

look.

t last the lady opened her eyes, and drank a little w ater, and sat up.

Janettarosefromherknees,andturnedtotheyoungmanw ithasmile.

"She w ill soon be better now, " she said. "I am afraid there is nothing

else that I can do

and I think I must go on

."

"I am very much obliged to you for your kind assistance," said the

gentleman, butw ithoutanyabatementofthegloomofhisexpression.

H e gave Janetta a keen look

almost a bold look

Lady Caroline

thought, and then smiled a little, not very pleasantly.

"A llow me to

take you to your carriage."

Janetta blushed, as if she w ere minded to say that it w as not her

carriage; but returned to the victoria, and w as handed to her seat by

the young man, w ho then raised his hat w ith an elaborate flourish

w hich w as not

exactly English. Indeed, it occurred to Lady Caroline

atoncethattherew assomethingFrenchaboutboththetravelers. The

lady w ith the frizzled grey hair, the black lace dress and mantel, the

gaudyblueandscarletfan,wasquiteforeigninappearance;

theyoung

manw iththeperfectlyfittingfrock

coat, thetallhat,theflow erinhis

button

hole, w as
in spite of his perfectly English accent

foreign

too. Lady Caroline w as cosmopolitan enough to feel an access of

greater interest in the pair in conseque

nce.

"They have sent to the nearest inn for a horse, " said Janetta, as the

carriage movedon; "and I dare say theyw ill not have long to wait. "

"Was the lady hurt?"

"N o, onlyshaken.Sheissubjecttofaintingfits,andtheaccidentquite

upset her nerves,

her son said. "

"H er son?"

"The gentleman called her mother."

"O h!Y ou did not hear their name,I suppose?"

"N o. Therew as abig B on their traveling bag."

"B

?" said Lady Caroline, thoughtfully. "I don' t know any one

in this neighborhood w hose name begins w ith B, except the Bevans.

They must have been merely passing through; and yet the young

man's face seemed familiar to me."

Janetta shook herhead. "I ne

ver saw them before," she said.

"H e has a very bold and unpleasant expression, " Lady Caroline

remarked, decidedly. "It spoils him entirely: oth erwise he is a

handsome man. "

The girl made no answer. She knew , as w ell as Lady Caroline, that

shehadbeenstar

edatinamannerthatw asnotquiteagreeabletoher,

and yet she did not like to endorse that lady' s condemnation of the

stranger. Forhewascertainlyverynice

-
looking

andhehadbeenso

kind to his mother that he could not be entirely bad

and to her a

lso

his facew as vaguely familiar. Could he belong to Beaminster?

A sshesatandmeditated, thetallspiresofBeaminsterCathedralcame

into sight, and a few minutes brought the carriage across the grey

stone bridge and down the principal street of the qu

aint old place

w hich called itself a city, but w as really neither mor e nor less than a

quiet country tow n. H ere Lady Caroline turned to her young guest

w ith aquestion

"Y ou live inGw ynne Street, I believe, my dear?"

"Y es, at number ten, Gw ynne Street, " sa

id Janetta, suddenly starting

and feeling a littl e uncomfortable. The coachman evidently knew the

addressalready, foratthatmomentheturnedthehorse's headstothe

left, and the carriage rolled down a narrow side

-

street, w here the tall

red brick house

s had a mean and shabby aspect, and seemed as if

constructed to keep out sun and air as much as possible.

Janetta alw ays felt the closeness and the shabbiness a little w hen she

first came home, even from school, but when she came from

H elmsley Court they s

truck her w ith redoubled force. She had never

thought before how dull the street w as, nor noticed that the railings

w ere broken down in front of the door w ith the brass

plate that bore

her father's name, nor that the w indow

curtains were torn and the

w indo

w ssadlyinneedofw ashing.Thelittleflightof stonestepsthat

ledfromtheirongatetothedoorwasalsoverydirty;andtheservant

girl, w hose head appeared against the area railings as the carriage

drove up, w as more untidy, more unkempt, in appea

rance than ever

Janetta could have expected. "We can' t be rich, but w e might

be

clean

!" she said to herself in a subdued frenzy of impatience, as

she fancied (quite unjustly) that she saw a faint smile pass over Lady

Caroline's delicate, impassive face. "N

o w onder she thinks me an

unfit friend for dear Margaret. But

oh, there is my dear, darling

father! Well, nobody can say anything against him at any rate!" A nd

Janetta'sfacebeamedw ithsuddenjoyasshesaw Mr. Colwyncoming

dow nthedirtystepstother

ickettylittleirongate, andLadyCaroline,

w ho knew the surgeon by sight, nodded to him w ith friendly

condescension.

"H ow are you, Mr. Colw yn?" she said, graciously. "I have brought

your daughter home, you see, and I hope you w ill not scold her for

w hat

has been

my
daughter's fault

not your' s."

"I am very glad to see Janetta, under any circumstances," said Mr.

Colwyn, gravely, as he raised his hat. H e w as a tall spare man, in a

shabby coat, w ith a carew orn aspect, and kindly, melancholy eyes.

Janetta noti

ced with a pang that his hair w as greyer than it had been

w hen last shew ent back to school.

"We shall be glad to see her again at H elmsley Court, " said Lady

Caroline. "N o, I w on' t get out, thank you. I have to get back to tea.

Y our daughter's box is in fr

ont. I w as to tell you from Miss

Polehampton, Mr.Colwyn,thatherfriendatWorthingw ouldbeglad

of Miss Colw yn' s services after the holidays."

"I am much obliged to your ladyship, " said Mr. Colw yn, w ith grave

formality. "I am not sure that I shall let

my daughtergo. "

"Won' t you? O h, but she ought to have all possible advantages! A nd

can you tell me, Mr. Colw yn, by any chance,

who

are the people

w hom w e passed on the road to Beaminster

an oldish lady in black

and a young man w ith very dark hair and eyes

? They had B on their

luggage, I believe. "

Mr. Colwyn looked surprised.

"IthinkIcantellyou, "hesaid,quietly. "Theyw ereontheirw ayfrom

BeaminstertoBrandH all. Theyoungmanw asacousinofmyw ife's:

hisnameisWyvisBrand,andtheladyinbla

ckw ashismother.They

have come homeafter an absence of nearly four

and

tw enty years. "

LadyCarolinew astoopolitetosayw hatshereallyfelt

thatshew as

sorry to hear it.

C HAPTERV .

WYV ISBR AND.

O ntheeveningofthedayonw hichLadyCarolinedrovew ithJanetta

Colwyn to Beaminster, the lady w ho had fainted by the w ayside w as

sitt ing in a rather gloomy

looking room at Brand H all

a room

know n in the household as the Blue D raw ing

room. It had not t

he

look of a draw ing

room exactly: it w as paneled in oak, w hich had

grown black w ith age, as had also the great oak beams that crossed

the ceiling and the polished floor. The furniture also w as of oak, and

thehangingsofdarkbutfadedblue,w hiletheblu

evelvetofthechairs

and the square of O riental carpet, in which blue tints also

preponderated,didnotaddcheerfulnesstothescene.O neortw ogreat

bluevasessetonthecarvedoakmantel

piece,andsomesmallerblue

ornaments on a sideboard, matched

the furniture in tint; but it w as

remarkable that on a day w hen country gardens were overflow ing

w ithblossom,therew asnotasingleflowerorgreenleafinanyofthe

vases. N o smaller and lighter ornaments, no scrap of w oman' s

handiw ork

laceorembroid

ery

enlivenedtheplace:nobooksw ere

set upon the table. A fire w ould not have been out of season, for the

evenings w ere chilly, and it w ould have had a cheery look; but there

w asnoattemptatcheeriness.Thew omanw hosatinoneofthehigh

backedchai

rsw aspaleandsad:herfoldedhandslaylistless lyclasped

together on her lap, and the sombre garb that she w ore was as

unrelieved by any gleam of brightness as the room itself. In the

gatheringgloomofachillysummerevening, eventheringsuponher

fingers could not flash. H er w hite face, in its setting of rough, w avy

grey hair, over w hich she w ore a covering of black lace, looked

almost statuesqu e in its profound tranquillity. But it w as not the

tranquilli ty of comfort and prosperity that had settle

d on that pale,

w orn,high

featuredface
itw asratherthetranquillit ythatcomesof

accepted sorrow and inextinguishable despair.

She had sat thus for fully half an hour w hen the door was roughly

opened, and the young man w hom Mr. Colwyn had named as Wyvis

Brand came lounging into the room. H e had been dining, but he w as

not in evening dress, and there w as something unrestful and rec

kless

in his w ay of moving round the room and throwing himself in the

chair nearest his mother's, w hich roused Mrs. Brand' s attention. She

turned slightly tow ards him, and became conscious at once of the

fumes of w ine and strong tobacco w ith w hich her son

had made her

only too familiar. She looked at him for a moment, then clasped her

hands tightly together and resumed her former position, w ith her sad

face turned to the w indow . She may have breathed a sigh as she did

so, but WyvisBrand did not hear it, an

d if he had heard it, w ould not

perhaps have very greatly cared.

"Whydo you sit in the dark?"he said at last, in a vexed tone.

"I w ill ring for lights," Mrs. Brandanswered quietly.

"D o as you like: I am not going to stay: I am going out, " said the

young

man.

Thehandthathismotherhadstretchedouttow ardsthebellfelltoher

side:shewasasubmissivew oman,usedtotakinghersonathisw ord.

"Y ou are lonely here," she ventured to remark, after a short silence:

"youw ill be gladw hen Cuthbertcomes

down. "

"It' sabeastlyhole, "saidherson, gloomily. "IwouldadviseCuthbert

to stay in Paris.What he w ill dow ith himself here, I can't imagine. "

"H e is happy anyw here," said themother, with a stifled sigh.

Wyvis uttered a short, harsh laugh.

"That ca

n' t be said of us, can it?" he exclaimed, putting his hand on

his mother's knee in a rough sort of caress. "We are generally in the

shadow w hile Cuthbert is in the sunshine, eh? The influence of this

old place makesme poetical, yousee."

"

You

neednotbe

intheshadow, "saidMrs.Brand.Butshesaiditw ith

an effort.

"N eedn' t I?" said Wyvis. H e thrust his hands into his pockets and

leanedbackinhischairw ithanotherlaugh. "Ihavesuchalottomake

me cheerful, haven' t I?"

H is mother turned her eyes u

pon him w ith a look of yearning

tenderness w hich, even if the room had been less dimly lighted, he

w ould not have seen. H e w as not much in the habit of looking for

sympathy in other people's faces.

"Is the place w orse than you expected?" she asked, w ith a

tremor in

her voice.

"It is mouldier
and smaller," he replied, curtly. "O ne' s childish

impressions don' t go for much. A nd it is in a miserable state

roof

out of repair

fences falling down

drainage imperfect. It has been

allow ed togo to rack and ruinw hile

w ew ereaw ay. "

"Wyvis, Wyvis," said his mother, in a tone of pain, "I kept you aw ay

for your ow n sake. I thoughtyouw ouldbe happierabroad."

"O h

happier!" said the young man, rather scornfully. "H appiness

isn't meant for me: it isn't in my line. It make

s no difference to me

w hether I am here or in Paris. I should have been here long ago if I

had had any ideathat things w ere going w rong in this w ay. "
"I suppose, " said Mrs. Brand, carefully controlling her voice, "that

you w ill not have the visitors you s

poke of if the house is in so bad a

state. "

"N othave visitors? O f course I shall have visitors. What else is there

for me to do w ith myself? We shall get the house put pretty straight

by the 12th. N ot that there w ill be any shooting w orth speaking of

on

place. "

"If nobody comes before the 12th, I think w e can make the house

habitable. Iw ill do my best, Wyvis."

Wyvis laughed again, but in a softer key. "Y ou!" he said. "Y ou can' t

domuch,mother.Itisn'tthesortofthingyoucareabout. Y oustayin

you

row nroomsanddoyourneedle

w ork;I' llseetothehouse.Some
men are coming long before the 12th

the day after to

morrow , I

believe."

"Who?"

"O h, Dering and St. John and Ponsonby, I expect. I don' t know

w hether theyw ill bring any one else. "

"Theworst

menofthew orstsetyouknow !"sighedhismother,under

her breath. "Could not youhave left them behind?"

She felt rather than saw how he frowned

how his hand tw itched

w ith impatience.

"What sort of friends am I likely to have?" he said. "Why not those

that amuse me most?"

Then he rose and w ent over to the w indow, w here he stood for some

time looking out. Turning round at last, he perceived from a slight

familiar movement of his mother's hand over her eyes that she w as

w eeping, and it seemed as ifhis he

art smote him at the sight.

"Come, mother, " he said, kindly, "don' t take what I say and do so

muchtoheart.Y ouknowI'mnogood,andnevershalldoanythingin

the w orld. Y ou have Cuthbert to comfort you

"

"Cuthbert is nothing to me

nothing

compared w ith you, Wyvis."

The young man came to her side and put his hand on her shoulder.

The passionate tone had touched him.

"Poor mother!" he said, softly. "You' ve suffered a good deal through

me, haven' t you? I w ish I could make you forget all the p
ast

but

perhaps youw ouldn' t thank me if Icould. "

"N o, " she said, leaning forw ard so as to rest her forehead against his

arm. "N o. For there has been brightness in the past, but I see little

brightness in the future either for you or for me."

"Well, that

ismyow nfault, "saidWyvis,lightlybutbitterly. "Ifithad

not been for my ow n youthful folly I shouldn' t be burdened as I am

now. I have no one but myself to thank. "

"Y es, yes, it was my fault. I pressed you to do it

to tie yourself for

life to thew o

manw ho has madeyou miserable!" said Mrs.Brand, in

a tone of despairing self

accusation. "I fancied

then
that we w ere

doing right. "

"I suppose w e were doing right, " said Wyvis Brand sternly, but not

asifthethoughtgavehimanyconsolation. "Itw asbet

terperhapsthat

I should marry the w oman w hom I thought I loved

instead of

leavingherorw rongingher

butIw ishtoG odthatIhadneverseen

her face!"

"A nd to think that I persuaded you into marrying her," moaned the

mother,rockingherselfbackwardan

dforw ardintheextremityofher

regretful anguish; "I

w ho ought to have been w iser

w ho might

have interfered
"

"Y ou couldn' t have interfered to much purpose. I w as mad about her

at the time, " said her son, beginning to w alk about the room in a

restless,

aimlessmanner."Iw ish,mother,thatyouw ouldceasetotalk

about the past. It seems to me sometimes like a dream; if you w ould

butletitliestill, IthinkthatIcouldfancyitw asadream.Remember

thatIdonotblameyou.WhenIrageagainstthebo

nd, Iamperfectly

w ell aware that it w as one of my ow n making. N o remonstrance, no

command w ould have availed w ith me for a moment. I w as

determined to gomy ownw ay, and Iw ent. "

It w as curious to remark that the roughness and harshness of his first

mann

er had dropped aw ay from him as it did drop now and then. H e

spoke w ith the polished utterance of an educated man. It w as almost

as though he at times put on a certain boorishness of demeanor,

feeling it in some w ay demanded of him by circumstances

but not
natural to him after all.

"I w ill try not to vex you, Wyvis," said his mother, w istfully.

"Y ou do not vex me exactly, " he answ ered, "but you stir my old

memories too often. I w ant to forget the past. Why else did I come

dow nhere,w hereIhaveneverbeen

sinceIwasachild?w hereJuliet

never set foot, and w here I have no association w ith that miserable

passage in my life?"

"Thenw hydoyoubringthosemendown, Wyvis?For

they

knowthe

past:

they

w ill recall old associations

"
"They amuse me. I cannot b

e w ithout companions. I do not pretend

to cut myself off from thew holeworld. "

A shespokethusbrieflyandcoldly, hestoppedtostrikeamatch,and

then lighted the w ax candles that stood on the black sideboard. By

this act he meant perhaps to put a sto

p to the conversation of w hich

he w as heartily tired. But Mrs. Brand, in the half

bew ildered

conditionofmindtowhichlonganxietyandsorrowhadreducedher,

did not know the virtue of silence, and did not possess the magic

quality of tact.

"Y ou might f

ind companions down here," she said, pertinaciously,

"people suited to your position

old friends of your father's,

perhaps

"
"Willtheybesow illingtomakefriendsw ithmyfather'sson?"Wyvis

burst out bitterly. Then, seeing from her w hite and stricken

face that

he had hurt her, he came to her side and kissed her penitently.

"Forgiveme, mother,"hesaid, "ifIsayw hatyoudon' tlike. I' vebeen

hearing about my father ever since I came to Beaminster tw o days

ago. Ihaveheardnothingbutw hatconfirmed

mypreviousideaabout

his character. Even poor old Colwyn couldn' t say any good of him.

H e w ent to the devil as fast as ever he could go, and his son seems

likely to follow in his footsteps. That' s the general opinion, and, by

G eorge, I think Ishall soo

n do something to justify it. "

"Y ouneednotliveasyourfatherdid, Wyvis,"saidhismother,w hose

tears w ere flow ing fast.

"If I don' t, nobody w ill believe it, " said the young man, moodily.

"There is no fighting against fate. The Brands are doomed, moth

er:

w e shall die out and be forgotten

all the better for the w orld, too. It

is time w ew ere donew ith: w e area bad lot. "

"Cuthbert is not bad. A nd you

Wyvis, you have your child. "

"H ave I? A child that I have not seen since it w as six months old!

Brought

up by its mother

a w oman w ithout heart or principle or

anything that is good! Much comfort the child is likely to be to me

w hen I get hold of it. "

"Whenw illthatbe?"saidMrs.Brand,asifspeakingtoherselfrather

than to him. ButWyvis replied:

"When

she is tired of it

notbefore. I do not knoww here she is."

"D oes she not draw her allow ance?"

"N ot regularly. And she refused her address w hen she last appeared

at K irby's. I suppose she w ants to keep the child away from me. She

need not trouble.The last

thing Iwant is her brat tobring up."

"Wyvis!"

But to his mother's remonstrati ng exclamation Wyvis paid no

attentioninthele ast:hismoodw asfitful, andhewasgladtostepout

of the ill

lighted room into the hall, and thence to the silence and

solit

ude of the grounds about thehouse.

Brand H all had been practically deserted for the last few years. A

tenant or two had occupied it for a little time soon after its late

master'sw ithdrawalfromthecountry;butthehousewasinconvenient

and remote from

tow ns, and it was said, moreover, to be damp and

unhealthy. A caretaker and his wife had, therefore, been its only
inhabitants of late , and a great deal of preparation had been required

to make it fit for its ow ner w hen he at last w rote to his agents in

Be

aminster to intimate his intention of settling at theH all.

The Brands had for many a long year been renowned as the most

unlucky

familyintheneighborhood.Theyhadoncepossessedagreat

property in the county; but gambling losses and speculation had

greatly reduced their w ealth, and even in the time of Wyvis Brand' s

grandfather the prestige of the fami ly had sunk very low . In th

e days

of Mark Brand, the father of Wyvis, it sank low er still. Mark Brand

w asnotonly"w ild, "butw eak:notonlyw eak,butw icked.H iscareer

w as one of riotous dissipation, culminating in w hat w as generally

spoken of as "a low marriage"

w ith the barmaid

of a Beaminster

public

house. Mary Wyvis had never been at all like the typical
barmaidoffictionorreallife:shewasalw ayspale, quiet, andrefined

looking, and it was not difficult to see how she had developed into

the sorrowful, carew orn w oman whom

Wyvis Brand called mother;

but she came of a thoroughly bad stock, and w as not untouched in

reputation. ThecountypeoplecutMarkBrandafterhismarriage,and

never took any notice of his w ife; and they w ere horrified w hen he

insisted on naming his elde

st son after his w ife's family, as if he

gloried in the low liness of her origin. But w hen Wyvis w as a small

boy, his father resolved that neither he nor his children should be

floutedandjeeredatbycountymagnatesanylonger.H ew entabroad,

and remaine

d abroad until his death, w hen Wyvis was tw enty years

ofageandCuthbert, theyoungerson, w asbarelytw elve. Somepeople

said that the discovery of some particularly disgraceful deed w as

imminentw henhelefthisnativeshores,andthatitwasforthisr

eason

that he had never returned to England; but Mark Brand himself

alw ays spoke as if his health w ere too w eak, his nerves too delicate,

tobeartheroughbreezesofhisowncountryandthebrusquemanners

of his compatriots. H e had brought up his son acc

ording to his own

ideas;andtheresultdidnotseementirelysatisfactor y.V aguerumors

occasionallyreachedBeaminsterofscrapesandscandalsinw hichthe

youngBrandsfigured;itw assaidthatWyvisw asaparticularlyblack

sheep,andthathedidhisb

esttocorrupthisyoungerbrotherCuthbert.

The new s that he w as coming back to Brand H all w as not received

w ith enthusiasmby thosew ho heard it.

Wyvis' ow n story had been a sad one

perhaps more sad than

scandalous; but it w as a story that the Beaminster

people w ere never

toheararight.Fewknewit,andmostofthosew hoknewithadagreed

tokeepitsecret. Thathisw ifeandchildw ereliving, manypersonsin

Paris w ere aw are; that they had separated w as also know n, but the

reason of that separation w as

to most persons a secret. A nd Wyvis,

w hohadagreatdisliketochatterers, madeuphismindw henhecame

toBeaminsterthathewouldtelltonobodythehistoryofthepastfew

years. H ad it not been for his mother's sad face, he fancied that he
could hav

e put it out of his mind altogether. H e half resented the

pertinacityw ithw hichsheseemedtobrooduponit. Thefactthatshe

hadforw arded

hadalmostinsiste dupon

theunfortunatemarriage,

w eighed heavily upon her mind. There had been a point at w hich

Wyvis w ould have given it up. But his mother had espoused the side

of the girl, persuaded the young man to fulfill his pr omises to her

and repented it ever since. Mrs. Wyvis Brand had developed an

uncontrollable love for strong drink, as well as a temper t

hat made

her at times more like a mad w oman than an ordinary human being;

andw hensheonedaydisappearedfromherhusband' shome, carrying

his child w ith her, and announcing in a subsequent letter that she did

not mean to return, it could hardly be wonde

red at if Wyvis drew a

long breath of relief, and hoped that she neverw ould.

C HAPTERV I.

JAN ETTA A THOME.

When Lady Caroline drove aw ay from Gw ynne Street, Janetta w as

left by the tumble

dow n iron gate w ith her father, in w hose hand she

hadlaidbothhe

row n. H elookedatherinterrogatively, smiledalittle

andsaid

"Well, mydear?"w ithasofteningofhiswholefacew hich

made him positively beautiful in Janetta's eyes.

"D ear,dearestfather!"saidthegirl, w ithanirrepressiblelittlesob. "I

am so g

lad to seeyou again!"

"Come in, my dear," said Mr. Colw yn, w ho w as not an emotional

man, although a sympathetic one. "We have been expecting you all

day.Wedidnotthinkthattheyw ouldkeepyousolongattheCourt."

"I'll tell you all about it w hen I g

et in, " said Janetta, trying to speak

cheerily, w ith an instinctive remembrance of the demands usually

made upon her fortitude in her ow n home. "Is mamma in?" She

alw aysspokeofthepresentMrs.Colw yn,as"mamma, "todistinguish

her from her ownmother.

"Idon' t see any of the children."

"Frightened aw ay by the grand carriage, I expect," said Mr. Colwyn,

w ith a grim smil e. "I see a head or tw o at the w indow . H ere, Joey,

G eorgie, Tiny

w here are you all? Come and help to carry your

sister's things upstairs.

" H e w ent to the front door and called again;

w hereuponasidedooropened,andfromitissuedaslip

shod,untidy

lookingw omaninashaw l,w hileoverhershoulderandunderherarm

appeared a little troop of children in various stages of grow th and

untid

iness. Mrs. Colwyn had the peculiarity of never being ready for

any engagement, much less for any emergency: she had been

expecting Janetta all day, and w ith Janetta some of the Court party;

but she w as nevertheless in a state of semi

undress, w hich she tr

ied

to conceal underneath her shaw l; and on the first intimation of the

approach of Lady Caroline's carriage she had shut herself and the

children into a back room, and declared her intention of fainting on

the spot if LadyCaroline entered the front door.

"Well, Janetta, " she said, as she advanced tow ards her stepdaughter

and presented one faded cheek to be kissed, "so your grand friends

have brought you home! O f course they w ouldn' t come in; I did not

expect them, I am sure. Come into the front room

and c

hildren,

don' t crow d so; your sister w ill speak to you by

and

-
bye. "

"O h, no, let me kiss them now, " said Janetta, who w as receiving a

series of affectionate hugs that went far to blind her eyes to the

generaldeficiencyoforderlinessandbeautyinthehou

setow hichshe

had come. "Oh, darlings, I am so glad to see you again! Joey, how

you have grow n! A nd Tiny isn't Tiny any longer! Georgie, you have

been plaiting your hair! A nd here are Curly and Jinks! But w here is

N ora?"

"U pstairs, curlingherhair,"sho

utedthechildw howasknow nbythe

nameofJinks.WhileG eorgie,awell

growngirlofthirteen,addedin

a low er tone,

"She w ould not come dow n until the Court people had gone. She

said

she

didn' tw ant to be patronized. "

Janetta colored, and turned away.

Meanw hile Mrs. Colwyn had

dropped into the nearest arm

chair, and Mr. Colw yn strayed in and

out of the room w ith the expression of a dog that has lost its master.

G eorgie hung upon Janetta's arm, and the younger children either

clung to their elder sister,

or stared at her w ith round eyes and their

fingersintheirm ouths.Janettafeltuncomfortablyconsciousofbeing

more than usually interesting to the m all. Joe, the eldest boy, a dusty

lad of fourteen, all legs and arms, favored her with a broad grin

exp

ressiveofdelight, w hichhissisterdidnotunderstand. Itw asTiny,

themostgentleanddelicateofthetribe, w holetinalitt lelightonthe

subject.

"D idtheysendyouaw ayfromschoolforbeingnaughty?"sheasked,

w ith agrave lookinto Janetta's f

ace.

A chuckle from Joey, and a giggle from G eorgie, w ere instantly

repressed by Mr. Colwyn' s frow n and Mrs. Colw yn' s acid

remonstrance.

"What are you thinking of, children? Sister is never naughty. We do

not yet quite understand w hy she has left Miss Pole

hampton' s so

suddenly, but of course she has some good reason. She' ll explain it,

nodoubt,toherpapaandme.MissPolehamptonhasbeenagreatdeal

putoutaboutitall, andhasw rittenalonglettertoyourpapa,Janetta;

and, indeed, it seems to

me

as

if it w ould have been more becoming

if you had kept to your ow n place and not tried to make friends w ith

those above you

"

"Whoarethoseaboveher,Ishouldliketoknow ?"brokeinthegrey

haired surgeon with some heat. "My Janet' s as good as the best
of

them any day. The A dairs are not such grand people as Miss

Polehampton makes out

I never heard of such insulting

distinct ions!"

"FancyJanettabeingsentaway

regularlyexpelled!"mutteredJoey,

w ith anotherchuckle.

"Y ou are very unkind to talk in that

w ay!" said Janetta, addressing

him, because at that moment she could not bear to look at Mr.

Colwyn. "It w as not

that

that made Miss Polehampton

angry. It w as

w hat she called insubordination. Miss A dair did not like to see me
having meals at a side

table

though I didn' t mind one single bit!

and she left her ow n place and sat by me

and then Miss

Polehampton w as vexed

and everything follow ed natural

ly. It w as

not just my being friends w ith Miss A dair that made her send me

aw ay. "

"It seems to me," said Mr. Colwyn, "that Miss A dair w as very

inconsiderate. "

"Itw asallherloveandfriendship, father,"pleadedJanetta. "Andshe

had alw ays had her ow n w ay; and of course she did not think that

Miss Polehampton really meant

"
H er w eak little excuses w ere cut short by a scornful laugh from her

stepmother.

"It' s

easytoseethatyouhavebeenmadeacat' s

pawof, Janetta, "she

said. "Miss A dair w as tired of school, and took the opportunity of

making a to

do about you, so as to provoke the schoolmistress and

get sent aw ay. It does not matter to her, of course:

she

hasn't got her

livingtoearn.A ndifyouloseyourteaching, andMissPolehampton' s

recommendations by it, it doesn't affect her. O h, I understand these

fine ladies and their w ays. "

"Indeed," said Janetta, in distress, "you quite misunderstand Miss

A dair,
mamma.Besides,ithasnotdeprivedmeofmyteaching:Miss

Polehampton had told me that I might go to her sister's school at

Worthing if I liked; and she only let me go yesterday because she

became irritated at

at

some of the things thatw ere said

"

"Y e

s, but I shall not let you go to Worthing, " said Mr. Colwyn, w ith

sudden decisiveness. "You shall not be exposed to insolence of this

kind any longer. Miss Polehampton had no right to treat you as she

did, and I shall write and tell her so. "

"A nd if Janett

a stays at home," said his w ife complainingly, "w hat is

tobecomeofhercareerasamusic

teacher?Shecan' tgetlessonshere,

and there's the expense

"

"I hope I can afford to keep my daughter as long as I am alive, " said

Mr. Colw yn w ith some vehemence.

"There, don' t be vexed, my dear

child, " and he laid his hand tenderly on Janetta's shoulder, "nobody

blames you; and your friend erred perhaps from over

affection; but

MissPolehampton"

w ithenergy

"isavulgar,self

seeking, foolish

oldw oman, andIw on'

thaveyouenterintorelationsw ithheragain. "

A nd then he left the room, and Janetta, forcing back the tears in her

eyes, did her best to smile when G eorgie and Tiny hugged her

simultaneously and Jinks beat a tattoo upon herknee.

"Well, "saidMrs.Colw

yn, lugubriously, "Ihopeeverythingw illturn

out for the best; but it is not at all nice, Janetta, to think that Miss

A dair has been expelled for your sake, or that you are thrown out of

w orkw ithoutacharacter,sotospeak. IshouldthinktheAdairsw o

uld

see that, and w ould make some compensation. If they don' t offer to

do so, your papamight suggest it

"

"I'm sure father w ould never suggest anything of the kind, " Janetta

flashed out; but before Mrs. Colwyn could protest, a diversion w as

effected by t

he entrance of the missing N ora, and all discussion w as

postponed to a more fitting moment.

FortolookatN oraw astoforgetdiscussion.Shew astheeldestofthe

second Mrs. Colwyn' s children

a girl just seventeen, taller than

Janetta and thinner, w ith t

he thinness of immature girlhood, but w ith

afairskinandamopofgolden
-

brow nhair,whichcurledsonaturally

thatheryoungerbrother'sstatementconcerningthosefairlocksmust

surelyhavebeenalibel. Shehadavivacious,narrow, littleface, w ith

large eyes like a child' s

that is to say, they had the transparent look

that one sees in some children's eyes, as if the color had been laid on

in a single w ash w ithout any shadow s. They w ere very pretty eyes,

and gave light and expression to a set of rath

er small features, w hich

mighthavebeeninsignificantiftheyhadbelongedtoaninsignificant

person. ButN oraColwynw as anything but insignificant.

"H ave your fine friends gone?" she said, peeping into the room in

pretended alarm. "Then I may come in.

H ow are you, Janetta, after

your sojourn in the halls of dazzling light?"

"D on' tbeabsurd,N ora,"saidhersister, withasuddenbackw arddart

ofremembrancetothetranquilbeautyoftheroomsatH elmsleyCourt

andthesilveraccentsofLadyCaroline. "W

hydidn' tyoucomedow n

before?"
"My dear, I thought the nobility and gentry w ere blocking the door, "

said N ora, kissing her. "But since they are gone, you might as w ell

come upstairs w ith me and take off your things. Then w e can have

tea."

O bediently Jane

tta follow ed her sister to the little room w hich they

alw ays shared w hen Janetta w as at home. It might have looked very

bare and desolate to ordinary eyes, but the girl felt the thrill of

pleasure that all young creatures feel to anything that bears the na

me

of home, and became aware of a satisfaction such as she had not

experienced in her luxurious bedroom at H elmsley Court. N ora

helped her to take off her hat and cloak, and to unpack her box,

insisting meanwhile on a detailed relation of all the events th

at had

led to Janetta's return three w eeks before the end of the term, and

shrieking w ith laughter overw hat she called "MissPoley's defeat. "

"But, seriously, N ora, w hat shall I do w ith myself, if father w ill not

let me go to Worthing?"

"Teach the childre

n at home," said Nora, briskly; "and save me the

trouble of looking after them. I should like that. O r get some pupils

in the town. Surely theA dairsw ill recommend you!"

This constant reference to possible aid from the A dairs troubled

Janettanotalittle

, anditw asw ithsomenotionofcombattingtheidea

that she repaired to the surgery after tea, in order to get a few w ords

on the subject w ith her father. But his first remark w as on quite a

different matter.

"H ere's a pretty kettle of fish, Janet! T he B

rands areback again!"

"So I heardyou say toLady Caroline. "

"Mark Brand w as a cousin of your mother's," said Mr. Colwyn,

abruptly;"andabadlot.A sforthesesonsofhis,Iknownothingabout

them

absolutely nothing. But their mother

" he shook his he

ad
significantly.

"We saw them today, " said Janetta.

"A h, an accident of that kind w ould be a shock to her: she does not

look strong. They w rote to me from the 'Clown,' w here they had

stayedforthelasttw odays;somequestionrelativetothedrainageof

Brand Hall. I w ent to the 'Crow n' and saw them. He's a fine

looking

man. "

"H e has not altogether a pleasant expression, " remarked Janetta,

thinking of L adyCaroline's strictures; "but I

liked

his face."

"H e looks ill

tempered," said her father. "A nd I can

' t say that he

showed me much civility. H e did not even know that your poor

mother w as dead. N ever asked whether she had left any family or

anything. "

"D id you tell him?" asked Janetta,after a pause.

"N o. I did not think it w orth w hile. I am not anxious t

o cultivate his

acquaintance."

"A fter all, w hat does it matter?" said the girl coaxingly, for she

thought she saw a shadow of disappointment upon his face.

"N o,w hatdoesitmatter?"saidherfather,brighteningupatonce."A s

long as w e are happy

w ith each other, these outside people need not

disturb us, need they?"

"N ot a bit, " said Janetta. "And

you are not angry with me, are you,

father, dear?"

"Why should I be, my Janet? Y ou have done nothing w rong that I

know of. If thereis any blame it attac

hes to MissA dair, not to you. "

"But I do not w ant you to think so, father. Miss A dair is the greatest

friend that I havein all thew orld. "

A nd she found a good many opportunities of repeating; this

conviction of hers during the next few days, for Mrs. Co

lw yn and

N ora w ere not slow to repeat the sentiment w ith w hich they had

greeted her

that the A dairs w ere "stuck

up" fine people, and that

they did not mean to take any further notice of her now that they had

got w hat theydesired.

Janettastoodupgallantl

yforherfriend,butshedidfeelitalittlehard

that Margaret had not w ritten or come to see her since her return

home. Sheconjectured

andintheconjectureshew asnearlyright
that Lady Caroline had sacrificed her a little in order to smooth over

th

ingsw ithherdaughter:thatshehadrepresentedJanettaasresolved

upon going, resolved upon neglecting Margaret and not complying

w ith her requests; and that Margaret w as a little offended w ith her in

consequence. She w rote an affectionate note of excus

e to her friend,

but Margaret made no reply.