s not walk out with Miss Reinhart.
Laura, darling, you must think before you speak."

Now, I knew that Sir Roland went out every day with my governess; more
than that, two or three times each day I had seen them; but Patience
looked at me with a solemn warning in her face, and I answered, as I
kissed her:

"I will try, darling mother. Shall I ever speak as plainly and as
prettily as you do, I wonder?"

I loved to make little loving, flattering speeches to her, they pleased
her so much and brightened her sweet face; but that evening, when I went
back to her room, I saw her eyes were swollen with weeping. I vowed to
myself to be careful.

"Where is papa, darling?" she asked, with loving, wistful eyes. "I have
only seen him once to-day."

"He is still in the dining-room, mamma." Then I added, with a guilty,
blushing face, for I had left my governess with him, "and you know that
I am growing wise enough to understand gentlemen like a nod over the
last glass of port."

"And Miss Reinhart, Laura, where is she?"

I was so unused to speaking anything but the plain, simple truth--it was
an effort even to evade the question, and say that she generally enjoyed
herself after dinner in her own fashion. She looked very relieved, and
Patience gave me a friendly nod, as though she would say, "You are
improving, Miss Laura."

Even after that, so soon as I entered the room, the loving, wistful eyes
would seek mine, and the question was always on her lips:

"Where is papa?"

One night she did not seem so well. I was startled myself by the march
of events--for Patience came to the drawing-room door, where Sir Roland
and Miss Reinhart were sitting, and looked slightly confused, as she
said:

"I have taken the liberty of coming to you, Sir Roland. You wished me
always to tell you when my lady was not so well--she seems very
depressed and lonely."

"I will go and sit with Lady Tayne," he said.

Then he glanced at the beautiful, brilliant face of Sara Reinhart.

"Laura, why are you not sitting with your mother to-night?"

And I dare not tell him that my jealous heart would not let me leave him
alone with her.

I understood that night the art with which she managed him, and with
it--child though I was--I had a feeling of contempt for the weak nature
so easily managed.

He came back to her looking confused.

"We must defer our game at chess, Miss Reinhart," he said. "Lady Tayne
is not so well; I am going to sit with her.