ill in his reserve. He was naturally silent, and a word from
him meant more than many protestations from another. Maud knew that he
enjoyed her society by a hundred indefinable signs; and when they bade
each other good-bye, the glance of the dark eyes seemed to speak of a
warmer interest than that of friendship. Since then four years had
passed by, and twice a year at least Ned had contrived to pay a visit to
Waybourne.

Now that the other girls were at home there were no longer opportunities
for uninterrupted converse, for, as the eldest daughter of a large
household, Maud was often compelled to busy herself with household
duties, leaving the charge of entertainment to the younger girls; but
she felt sure that Ned understood, and no trace of dissatisfaction
clouded her gentle spirit. She calculated happily that four months had
passed since his last appearance, and felt her cheeks flush as she
remembered Jim's accounts of a recent prosperous change in his friend's
business. A great step upward had been taken during the last year, and
now, for the first time, Talbot was in a position to keep a wife! This
being so, who could tell what might happen next? The hour to which she
had looked forward to so long, when Ned would give her a right to love
him and to be his helpmeet in life, might be close at hand. Oh, it was
a good world, a beautiful world! Life was in its spring, and every
opening bud and flower in the green world without seemed to typify the
hope in her own heart!

The next few days witnessed a perfect rush of industry. It was no light
task to complete the cleaning of so large a house in ten days' time, but
many hands make light work; and while the servants scrubbed and scoured,
the girls performed the lighter duties, washing ornaments, polishing
pictures, turning faded draperies, sewing on new lengths of fringe,
until old bottles were, if not exactly converted into new, at least
assured a fresh lease of juvenility. There was always a rush to get the
work finished a day or two before the parents' return, for the time that
was over was legally the girls' own, to be employed in whatsoever manner
seemed most pleasing. Christabel stayed in bed to breakfast; Agatha ate
apples and read novels all day long; Elsie made copious entries in her
diary, and wore her hair in the picturesque confusion which she
considered becoming, and felt it cruel of her mother to forbid; Nan
worked in her studio, and came down to