dislike being played the fool
with. You saw Cecilia Constable this morning. You won her round to
your views when I was asleep.'

'Ha, ha!' laughed Miss Delacour. 'I repeat, she is a sweet woman, and
her boys shall go to the school.'

'I thought it was a girls' school.'

'For her dear sake,' replied Miss Delacour, 'it will be a mixed school.
Oh, I feel happy! The Lord is directing me.'

They arrived at The Garden, where five gloomy little girls gazed
gloomily at their aunt.

'I do wonder when she 'll go,' whispered Hollyhock. 'Look at Dumpy
Dad; he's perfectly miserable. If she does not clear out soon, I 'll
turn her out, that I will.'

When tea was over, the children and their father went into the spacious
grounds, rowed on the lake, and were happy once more, their peals of
merriment reaching Miss Delacour as she drew up plans in furtherance of
her scheme.

By-and-by the children went upstairs to dress for dinner. Their dress
was very simple, sometimes white washing silk, sometimes pink silk,
equally soft, sometimes very pale-blue silk. To-night they chose to
appear in their pink dresses.

'It will annoy the old crab,' thought Hollyhock.

They always walked the short distance between The Garden and The
Paddock.

Miss Delacour put on her 'thistle' gown, assisted by Magsie, who
ingratiatingly declared that she looked 'that weel ye hardly kent her.'

'You are a good girl, Margaret,' answered Miss Delacour, 'and if I can
I will help you in life.'

'Thank ye, my leddy; thank ye.'

The entire family started off for The Paddock, and on arrival there, to
the amazement and indeed sickening surprise of the Honourable George
Lennox, were immediately introduced to Mrs Macintyre, who turned out to
be, to his intense disappointment, a quiet, sad, lady-like woman, tall
and slender, and without a trace of the Scots accent about her. She
was perfect as far as speech and manner were concerned.

Mrs Macintyre, however, knew well the important part she had to play.
At dinner she sat next to Mr Lennox, and devoted herself to him with a
sort of humble devotion, speaking sadly of the school, but assuring him
that if he _could_ induce himself to entrust his beautiful little
Flower Girls to her care, she would leave no stone unturned to educate
them according to his own wishes, and to let them see as much of their
father as possible.

Lennox began to feel that he preferred Mrs Macintyre to his
sister-in-law or eve