You look well after your walk," she said. "And what did Mr Hilliard
think of our tame ruins?"

Pixie looked at Esmeralda; Esmeralda looked at Mr Hilliard; Mr
Hilliard looked at his boots. One and all they had forgotten all about
the ruins!

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

THE UNWRITTEN PAGE.

The New Year gathering was a great success, and justified Esmeralda's
boast that she would organise an entertainment which should be both
original and striking. Mademoiselle was not admitted to the secret
conferences, for she was to be surprised with the other guests; but she
could not shut her ears, and would not have done so if she could, for
the sound of the music which rose to her ears was too melodious to lose.
One and all the O'Shaughnessys possessed beautiful singing voices, and
though the carols which they rehearsed were simple in themselves, they
were practised with a care which made them a joy to hear. Over and over
again the Major made his choir repeat a certain phrase, until the
_diminuendo_ or _crescendo_ was rendered to his satisfaction, until
opening and closing notes sounded together to the instant, and due
expression was given to every mark. Music he loved, and over music
would spend time and trouble which he would have grudged in almost every
other way; but he rubbed his hands with satisfaction when the last
rehearsal was over, and boasted gleefully that for carol-singing not
many choirs could be found to beat his own.

By eight o'clock the girls were dressed and strutting up and down the
hall to exhibit themselves to the gaze of their companions. Bridgie
wore her coming-out dress--not so white as it had once been, but
carefully chalked at the worst places, and swathed in lovely old lace
round the shoulders. Esmeralda sported a pink moire dress which had
once belonged to her mother, with a voluminous sash of white muslin,
since nothing more elaborate was to hand, a wreath of roses out of last
summer's hat pinned over one shoulder, with all the crunched-up leaves
ironed out smooth and flat, and white gloves cleaned with benzoline
until you could hardly tell them from new. She was a vision of
elegance, or looked so at least to the ordinary observer; for when a
girl is eighteen, and a beauty at that, she is bound to look charming,
whatever be her clothes.

At nine o'clock the guests were asked, and the hour had barely struck
before they began to arrive. The sound of horses' feet was heard from
without, wh