his bride. It was natural that it
should be so--natural and right; but when one came to stand in the
parent's place, how it hurt! He set his teeth in endurance.

Mrs Goring regarded the engagement and prospective marriage primarily
as a disagreeable upset to domestic routine, and did not rest until she
had secured Vanna's consent to prolong her visit until the bride had
departed.

"There will be so much to arrange, endless letters to write, and people
to see. Jean will be worse than useless, and poor dear Miss Miggs is
not fit to rush about. If you _would_ stay and help, my dear, I should
be unutterably grateful. When you undertake a thing it is always well
done."

"I should like to stay," replied Vanna simply. The first days of Jean's
rapturous happiness had been hard for her friend. It was not in human
nature to avoid a feeling of loss, of loneliness, of hopeless longing
for such happiness for herself, but it was a comfort to know that she
could be of real practical help. Jean, of course, had declared in words
that nothing, no, nothing, could ever lessen the warmth of her
friendship, and Vanna had faith to believe that in the years to come the
love between them would increase rather than diminish. In the meantime,
however, she must needs stand aside, and be content to be neglected,
ignored, regarded at times as an unwelcome intruder--a difficult lesson
to learn.

At the very first meeting after the engagement the difference of
relationship had made itself felt, for Jean had shown a distinct
annoyance when Vanna referred to the prophecy of the rose.

"He had told you--you knew? He talked about it to you afterwards. You
knew how he felt--" Her face flushed with resentment; there was a cool
aloofness in her glance, as though a friend whom she had trusted had
been discovered prying into hidden treasures. "Please don't speak of it
again; don't let any one else know. Promise me never to mention it."
That was all, but her manner said as plainly as words, "It is our
secret--Robert's and mine. What right have you on our holy ground?"

Vanna was by nature just and reasonable, and she told herself that in
Jean's place she might have felt the same irritation, though perhaps she
would have been more chary about showing it. She held herself in check,
and was careful never again to refer to the forbidden topic.

On another occasion, when called to give her advice on a matter in
consultation between the lovers