ware of, go to her room,
disorganize her dress, and ruin her hair by lying down; so putting it out
of her power to descend and meet Christopher on any momentary impulse.

Picotee sat in the room with her, reading, or pretending to read, and
Ethelberta pretended to sleep. Christopher's knock came up the stairs,
and with it the end of the farce.

'I'll tell you what,' said Ethelberta in the prompt and broadly-awake
tone of one who had been concentrated on the expectation of that sound
for a length of time, 'it was a mistake in me to do this! Joey will be
sure to make a muddle of it.'

Joey was heard coming up the stairs. Picotee opened the door, and said,
with an anxiety transcending Ethelberta's, 'Well?'

'O, will you tell Mrs. Petherwin that Mr. Julian says he'll wait.'

'You were not to ask him to wait,' said Ethelberta, within.

'I know that,' said Joey, 'and I didn't. He's doing that out of his own
head.'

'Then let Mr. Julian wait, by all means,' said Ethelberta. 'Allow him to
wait if he likes, but tell him it is uncertain if I shall be able to come
down.'

Joey then retired, and the two sisters remained in silence.

'I wonder if he's gone,' Ethelberta said, at the end of a long time.

'I thought you were asleep,' said Picotee. 'Shall we ask Joey? I have
not heard the door close.'

Joey was summoned, and after a leisurely ascent, interspersed by various
gymnastic performances over the handrail here and there, appeared again.

'He's there jest the same: he don't seem to be in no hurry at all,' said
Joey.

'What is he doing?' inquired Picotee solicitously.

'O, only looking at his watch sometimes, and humming tunes, and playing
rat-a-tat-tat upon the table. He says he don't mind waiting a bit.'

'You must have made a mistake in the message,' said Ethelberta, within.

'Well, no. I am correct as a jineral thing. I jest said perhaps you
would be engaged all the evening, and perhaps you wouldn't.'

When Joey had again retired, and they had waited another ten minutes,
Ethelberta said, 'Picotee, do you go down and speak a few words to him. I
am determined he shall not see me. You know him a little; you remember
when he came to the Lodge?'

'What must I say to him?'

Ethelberta paused before replying. 'Try to find out if--if he is much
grieved at not seeing me, and say--give him to understand that I will
forgive him, Picotee.'

'Very well.'

'And Picotee--'

'Yes.'

'If he says he m