uke, but to her surprise
her father seemed far more pained than angry.

"I thought my children could have trusted me!" he said. "You will find,
Honor, as you go through life, that no one has your interest at heart
so truly as your own father. Perhaps I have erred on the side of
severity, but it is no light responsibility to keep five high-spirited
lads under control, to say nothing of a madcap daughter. My father
brought me up on the rule of 'spare the rod, spoil the child', and I
thought modern methods produced a less worthy race, so I would stick to
his old-fashioned principle. I have taken far harder thrashings in my
boyhood than I have ever bestowed on Master Dermot. All the same, I
believed you knew that, though I might sometimes appear harsh, I meant
it for your good, and that I was the best friend you had in the world."

"You are, Daddy, you are!" cried Honor, clinging round his neck.

"Well, little woman, you must have more confidence in me another time,
and come boldly and tell me your scrapes. I would rather forgive you a
great deal than feel that you kept anything back from me. You've been a
very foolish girl, and have got yourself into sad trouble. Your mother
is wild with anxiety about you."

"How is Mother? Is she still so ill?" quavered Honor.

"She was much better until yesterday, when we received Miss Cavendish's
telegram. Naturally, that upset her very much. I have wired to her
already, to say that you are safely here with me."

"Oh, Daddy, let us go home to Mother at once!"

"No, my dear!" said Major Fitzgerald decidedly. "I couldn't let you
return to Kilmore with such an accusation resting against your name. We
must face that, and get it cleared up. I shall have a talk with both
Miss Maitland and Miss Cavendish. Don't you see that by running away
you are practically admitting yourself to be guilty? It was the
silliest thing to do! Come, don't cry! We'll get to the bottom of the
matter somehow."

"But you won't tell Dr. Winterton?" implored Honor, whose tears were
more for her brother than for herself.

"I won't promise. It may be necessary to do so. You needn't fear Dermot
will miss his exam.; I should of course stipulate that he must take it.
I don't believe, however, that he would be expelled. It is so near to
the end of the term, and if he secures a pass he will be leaving the
Grange in any case, to join his training ship. The young rascal! He
certainly deserves his thrashing. He's alway