y thankful for it. What little she had seen of Gatty
was rather negative than positive; but at least it had not, as in the
case of Molly revealed anything actively disagreeable. Rhoda was
heartily welcome to Molly's society so far as Phoebe was concerned. But
it surprised and rather perplexed Phoebe to find that Rhoda actually
liked this very objectionable maiden.

"Panem?" asked Molly, the next morning at breakfast. Her Latin, such as
it was, was entirely unburdened with cases and declensions. "Thank you,
I will take kakos."

"Fiddle-de-dee! what's that?" said Molly. Rhoda had completely
forgotten what the word meant.

"Oh, 'tis the Greek for biscuit," said she, daringly.

Phoebe contrived to hide a portion of her face in her teacup, but Gatty
saw her eyes, and read their meaning.

"The Greek!" cried Molly. "Who has taught you Greek, Ne'er-do-well?"

"A very learned person," said Rhoda, to whom it was delight to mystify
Molly.

"Old Onslow?" demanded irreverent Molly, quite undeterred by the
consideration that the chaplain sat at the table with her.

"You can ask him," said Rhoda.

"Did you, old cassock?" inquired Molly, who appeared to apply that
adjective in a most impartial manner.

"Indeed, Mrs Molly, I did not--I never knew--" stammered the startled
chaplain, quite shaken out of his propriety.

"Never knew any Greek? I thought so," responded audacious Molly,
thereby evoking laughter all round the table, in which even Madam
joined.

Phoebe, who had recovered herself, sat lost in wonder where the
cleverness of all this was to be found. It simply disgusted her. Rhoda
was not always pleasant to put up with, but Rhoda was sweetness and
grace, compared with Molly. Gatty sat quietly, neither rebuking her
sister's sallies, nor apparently amused by them. And Rhoda _liked_ this
girl! It was a mystery to Phoebe.

When night came Phoebe found her belongings transferred to Gatty's room.
She assisted Rhoda to undress, herself silent, but a perpetual chatter
being kept up between Rhoda and Molly on subjects not by any means
interesting to Phoebe.

The latter was at length dismissed, and, with a sense of relief, she
went slowly along the passage to the room in which she and Gatty were to
sleep.

Though it was getting very late, the clock being on the stroke of ten,
yet Gatty was not in bed. She seemed to have half undressed herself,
and then to have thrown a scarf over her shoulders and sat down