man's wife, and would be blissfully happy living on twopence-halfpenny a
week, and making it go as far as half a crown, but I am so stupid. My
money seems to fly away, and I could not be economical if my life
depended on it."

Ned sighed, and looked round the garden with a wistful air.

"I wish Maud were at home!" he said. "She is always so good and
helpful. It puts new strength in a man to hear her talk. The house
does not seem like itself when Maud is away!"

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

GERVASE VANBURGH.

"Humph!" remarked Miss Nan to herself the next afternoon, as she watched
the lovers pacing the garden walk, "Humph! unless my eyes deceive me,
relationships are strained between our dear young friends. The
atmosphere seems charged with--not electricity, but an amount of ice
which is suitable neither to the season nor the occasion. Strikes me,
I'd better be out of the way! I'll do an act of charity to another and
a good turn to myself at one and the same time, and go and have tea with
Diogenes!"

She spoke with a certainty of welcome, justified by the delight with
which Mr Vanburgh invariably greeted her appearance, for she had
discovered that nothing pleased him so much as to see her running in and
out of the house, popping in for ten minutes' chat on her return from a
walk, or livening a dull afternoon by taking her work across the road,
and stitching by his couch. This latter attention had also brought
about the happy results of interesting the invalid in the coming sale,
and more than one of Nan's efforts was bought before it was completed,
thereby affording that young lady a terrible temptation to scamp the
work which remained. On the present occasion, however, she was in a
lazy mood, and frowned sternly on her conscience, when it suggested that
she should make use of the opportunity to finish a certain table centre.
No, indeed, she decided, she would do nothing of the kind. Unwilling
work was invariably a failure, and she felt no vocation to do anything
more energetic than sit still and eat Mr Vanburgh's delicious cakes,
and drink Mr Vanburgh's excellent tea.

She stood up then, and, as a preliminary step, regarded herself
critically in the mirror, for among other things which had been borne in
upon her concerning her new neighbour, one was that he was exceedingly
fastidious about appearances, and as sharp as a needle to discover any
discrepancies in her attire. He was too polite to put his critici