n Strong is a very remarkable man," she said;
"you are right there, Margaret. And Rita is uncivil to him? Do you know,
I should not trouble myself about that if I were you. If Elizabeth can
understand that Rita has been brought up without learning any respect
for the dignity of labour, John Strong will understand it twice as well,
for he has more than twice the intelligence."

"Thank you, Aunt Faith! You are so comforting! He--he has been here a
long time, has he not? I should think my uncle must have great
confidence in him; and he has such beautiful manners!"

"His manners," said Mrs. Cheriton emphatically, "are perfect." Then she
said, changing the subject rather hastily, "And where are the two other
girls to-day, my dear? They do not incline to come to me often, I
perceive. It is not strange; many very young people dislike the sight of
extreme age; you have been taught differently, my dear,--Roger Montfort
was always a thoughtful, sensible lad, like John. No, I do not blame
them in the least for keeping away, but I like to know what they are
doing."

"I--I don't really know, just now," and Margaret hung her head a little;
"Peggy wanted me to go to walk with her an hour or so ago, but I was
just reading a book that Papa had always told me about,--'The Fool of
Quality,' you know it?--and I did not want to leave it. I ought to have
gone; I will go now, and see where they both are. Dear Aunt Faith, thank
you so much for letting me come and talk to you; you can't think what a
relief it is when I am puzzled."

The old lady's sweet smile lingered like a benediction with Margaret, as
she went back to the main house, carefully closing the door that shut
off the white rooms. Surely she had been selfish to stay indoors with a
book, instead of going out with her cousin; but oh, the book understood
her so much better, and was so much more companionable! Now, however,
she would be good, and would go and see what both the cousins were
doing. They were not together, of course; Rita was very likely asleep at
this hour; but Peggy, what had Peggy been doing?

What had Peggy been doing?

She had sauntered out rather disconsolately, on Margaret's refusing to
accompany her. She was so used to being one of a large, shouting,
struggling family, that she felt, perhaps more than any of the three
girls, the retirement and quiet of Fernley. She wanted to run and scream
and make a noise, but there was no fun in doing it alone. If Jean wer