hat, so far as she was concerned, he had ceased
to exist, her success was not what she expected it to be.

Although he had been amused and interested, Walter Lodloe now thought
that he had had enough of Miss Calthea Rose, and wandered away to the
little garden at the foot of his staircase. He had not reached it before
he was joined by Mr. Tippengray.

"Look here," said the latter, with something of his usual briskness;
"if you are still in the humor, suppose we walk over to Lethbury."

Lodloe looked at him in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to go
there," he said.

"I've changed my mind," replied the other. "I think this is a very good
day to go to Lethbury. It is a pretty village, and you ought to have
some one with you to show you its best points."

As soon as she thought etiquette would permit, Mrs. Cristie withdrew,
pleading the interests of her baby as an excuse.

"Do you mean to tell me," said Miss Calthea Rose, the moment the young
mother was out of hearing, "that she leaves her baby in the care of that
thing with a book?"

"Oh, yes," was the answer; "Mrs. Cristie tells me she is a very good
nurse-maid."

"Well," said Miss Calthea, "babies are troublesome, and it's often
convenient to get rid of them, but I must say that I never heard of this
new style of infanticide. I suppose there isn't any law against it yet."

Mr. Petter looked uneasy. He did not like fault found with Mrs. Cristie,
who was a great favorite with him.

"I am inclined to think, Miss Calthea," he said, "that you judge that
young person too harshly. I have formed a very good opinion of her. Not
only does she attend to her duties, but she has a good mind. It may not
be a fine mind, but it is a good mind. Her desire to learn from Mr.
Tippengray is a great point in her favor."

Here Mrs. Petter, who sat near her husband, pressed violently upon his
foot; but she was too late, the words had been said. Mrs. Petter
prepared herself for a blaze, but none came. There was a momentary flash
in the Calthean eyes, and then the lids came down and shut out
everything but a line of steely light. Then she gazed out over the
landscape, and presently again turned her face towards her companions,
with nothing more upon it than her usual expression when in a bad humor.

"Do you know," she said abruptly, "that Lanigan Beam is coming back?"

"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Petter, "I thought he was settled in
Patagonia."

"It was not Patagonia,