orse. For a few moments he became aware of a blind rage
possessing him and he cursed deeply his stupidity and the gaucherie of
his manner. But soon he forgot his rage for thinking of her eyes and of
what he had seen behind their translucent blue.

"My dear child," again exclaimed Mrs. Waring-Gaunt, "I declare you have
actually grown taller and grown--a great many other things that I may
not tell you. What have they done to you at that wonderful school? Did
you love it?"

The girl flushed with a quick emotion. "Oh, Mrs. Waring-Gaunt, it was
really wonderful. I had such a good time and every one was lovely to me.
I did not know people could be so kind. But it is good to get back home
again to them all, and to you, and to all this." She waved her hand to
the forest about her.

"And who are up here to-day, and what are you doing?" inquired Mrs.
Waring-Gaunt.

"In the meantime I am preparing dinner," said the girl with a laugh.

"Dinner!" exclaimed Jack Romayne, who had meantime drawn near,
determined to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of this girl as a man
familiar with the decencies of polite society. "Dinner! It smells so
good and we are desperately hungry."

"Yes," cried Mrs. Waring-Gaunt. "My brother declared he was quite faint
more than an hour ago, and now I am sure he is."

"Fairly ravenous."

"But I don't know," said the girl with serious anxiety on her face.
"You see, we have only pork and fried potatoes, and Nora just shot a
chicken--only one--and they are always so hungry. But we have plenty of
bread and tea. Would you stay?"

"It sounds really very nice," said Mrs. Waring-Gaunt.

"It would be awfully jolly of you, and I promise not to eat too much,"
said the young man. "I am actually faint with hunger, and a cup of tea
appears necessary to revive me."

"Of course, stay," said the girl with quick sympathy. "We can't give you
much, but we can give you something."

"Oh----ho!"

"O-h-o-o-o-h! O-h-o-o-o-h!" A loud call came from the woods.

"There's Nora," said Kathleen. "O-o-o-o-o-h! O-o-o-o-o-h!" The girl's
answering call was like the winding of a silver horn. "Here she is."

Out from the woods, striding into the clearing, came a young girl
dressed in workmanlike garb in short skirt, leggings and jersey, with
a soft black hat on the black tumbled locks. "Hello, Kathleen, dinner
ready? I'm famished. Oh, Mrs. Waring-Gaunt, glad to see you."

"And my brother, Nora, Mr. Jack Romayne, just come from