pair, smiled significantly, and concluded that it would be a
match, and went home and told less privileged people about the evident
attachment between the Duke's daughter and the young commoner. But
Rorie was not strongly drawn towards his cousin this evening. It seemed
to him that she was growing more and more of a paragon; and he hated
paragons.

She played presently, and afterwards sang some French _chansons_. Both
playing and singing were perfect of their kind. Rorie did not
understand Chopin, and thought there was a good deal of unnecessary
hopping about the piano in that sort of thing--nothing concrete, or
that came to a focus; a succession of airy meanderings, a fairy dance
in the treble, a goblin hunt in the bass. But the French _chansons_,
the dainty little melodies with words of infantile innocence, all about
leaves and buds, and birds'-nests and butterflies, pleased him
infinitely. He hung over the piano with an enraptured air; and again
his friends made note of his subjugation, and registered the fact for
future discussion.

CHAPTER VI.

How she took the News.

It was past midnight when the Tempest carriage drove through the dark
rhododendron shrubberies up to the old Tudor porch. There was a great
pile of logs burning in the hall, giving the home-comers cheery
welcome. There was an antique silver spirit stand with its
accompaniments on one little table for the Squire, and there was
another little table on the opposite side of the hearth for Mrs.
Tempest, with a dainty tea-service sparkling and shining in the red
glow.

A glance at these arrangements would have told you that there were old
servants at the Abbey House, servants who knew their master's and
mistress's ways, and for whom service was more or less a labour of love.

"How nice," said the lady, with a contented sigh. "Pauline has thought
of my cup of tea."

"And Forbes has not forgotten my soda-water," remarked the Squire.

He said nothing about the brandy, which he was pouring into the tall
glass with a liberal hand.

Pauline came to take off her mistress's cloak, and was praised for her
thoughtfulness about the tea, and then dismissed for the night.

The Squire liked to stretch his legs before his own fireside after
dining out; and with the Squire, as with Mr. Squeers, the
leg-stretching process involved the leisurely consumption of a good
deal of brandy and water.

Mr. and Mrs. Tempest talked over the Briarwood dinner-party, an