tay at
Northmoor gives them the only chance of being all together for a little
while, and after their obligations to Mrs. Bury--'

'Ma, how can you be so green? Obligations, indeed! It is all a mere
excuse to say there is not room for us in that great house. I see
through it all. It is just to prevent us from being able to ask
inconvenient questions of the German nurse and Mrs. Bury and all!'

'Now, Ida, I wish you would put away that fancy. Your uncle and aunt
were always such good people! And there was Mrs. Bury--'

'Mother, you will never understand the revenge of sordid souls,' said Ida
tragically, quoting from _The Unconscious Impostor_.

'Revenge! What can you mean?'

'Of course, you know, Mrs. Bury never forgave Herbert's taking her for a
tramp, and you know how nasty uncle was about that white rook and the
bets. Oh, it is quite plain. He was to be deprived of his rights, and
so this journey was contrived, and they got into this out-of-the-way,
inaccessible place, and sent poor Conny away, and then had no doctor or
nurse--exactly as people always do.'

'Oh, Ida, only in stories! Your novels are turning your head.'

'Novels are transcripts of life,' again said Ida, solemnly quoting.

'I don't believe it if they put such things into your head,' said her
mother. 'Asking Herbert to be godfather too! Such a compliment!'

'An empty compliment, to hoodwink us and the poor boy,' said Ida. 'No,
no, ma, the keeping you away settles it in my mind, and it shall be the
business of my life to unmask that!'

So spoke Ida, conscious of being a future heroine.

It was quite true that Herbert had been asked to stand godfather to his
little cousin's admission into the Church, after, of course, a very good
report had been received from his tutor. 'You are the little fellow's
nearest kinsman,' wrote Lord Northmoor, 'and I trust to you to influence
him for good.' Herbert wriggled, blushed, thought he hated it, was glad
it had been written instead of spoken, but was really touched.

His uncle had justly thought responsibility would be wholesome, and
besides, Herbert represented to him his brother, for whom he had a very
tender feeling.

It was quite true that Northmoor was as full as it would hold. Mrs.
Bury's eldest daughter was going out to India, and another had a husband
in the Civil Service; the third lived in Ireland, and the only way of
having the whole family together for their last fortnight was t