l,'
Leucha and Jasmine were excused lessons--Leucha on the plea of
ill-health, Jasmine because she wished to help her darling Hollyhock's
friend.

The two girls were excused lessons; as for preparation for the prize
competition, that they might go on with or not, as they wished.
Jasmine had no love for gems, but she would like to gain one of the
lockets containing the great crest of her mother's people, her own
ancestors. But if she lost it, she would be the last girl to fret.
She had as little ambition in her as had Hollyhock herself. Leucha, on
the other hand, was keenly anxious to get the famous crest locket, and
when Jasmine assured her that she would have ample opportunities of
studying the ways of wee Jean, she condescended to accompany Jasmine to
The Garden.

She found The Garden, however, very dull. She found the kitchen cat,
whenever she came across her, intolerable; she scared wee Jean away
from her, saying, 'Get away, you ugly beast!' and took not the
slightest pains to make herself agreeable.

Hollyhock, with tears very, very near her black eyes, had implored of
Jasper to come to her assistance and tell home truths in his plain
Scots way to the English girl. This Jasper promptly promised to do,
and his mother gave him leave to go over from the Annex to The Garden,
in order to help Leucha.

Jasmine, with all her strength of character, was too gentle for the
task she had undertaken; but there was no gentleness about fierce young
Jasper. He naturally thought that Holly, the dear that she was, had
gone too far; but he could not stand a common-place girl like Leuchy
making such a row.

Now the facts were simply these. Leucha hated, with a violent,
passionate, wicked hate, all the terrible past; but she still
loved--loved as she could not believe possible--that black-eyed lass
Hollyhock. Hollyhock had played a horrid trick on her; nevertheless
Leucha loved her, and mourned for her, and was perfectly wretched at
The Garden without her.

Oh no, she would never be _friends_ with her again--_never_! Such a
thing was impossible; but nevertheless she loved--she loved Hollyhock,
with a sort of craving which caused her to long to see the bright glint
in her eyes and the bonnie smile round her lips. As for Jasmine, she
was less than nothing in Leucha's eyes. Hollyhock, although she would
not say it for the world, was all in all to the miserable, proud, silly
girl.

Hollyhock's heart was also aching for