umstance could
ever provoke colour into her cheeks, but she always looked her very best
at night, and no dress became her like black lace, so dazzlingly fair
were her neck and arms, so brilliant her plentiful hair.

Sir John and Colonel Sharston looked at her more than once--Sir John
with that knowledge in his eyes which Bertha knew quite well he
possessed, and Colonel Sharston with undisguised admiration.

In the course of the evening the Colonel beckoned Kitty to his side.

"I like the appearance of that girl," he said; "but she has a strange
face: she must have a history. Why are we not to mention to Mrs. Aylmer
that you already knew her, Kitty?"

"I will tell you another time, father," answered Kitty. Then she added,
in a low voice: "Oh, I am sorry for her, very sorry. It might ruin her,
father, if it were known; you would not ruin her, would you?"

"Of course not, my dear child, and I will certainly respect your wish."

The next day, after breakfast, Kitty found herself alone with Bertha.
Bertha was feeding some pigeons in a dove-cote not far from the house.
Kitty ran up to her and touched her on the arm.

"I have made up my mind," said Kitty.

"Yes?" answered Bertha.

There was a fresh note in Kitty's voice--a note of resolve. Her eyes
looked full of determination; she was holding herself very erect. Bertha
had never been worried by the thought of Kitty: a girl in her opinion so
insignificant. Now she looked at her with a new feeling of terror and
also respect.

"I don't understand," she said; "in what way have you made up your
mind?"

"I have spoken to Sir John and also to my father. They know--they cannot
help knowing--that I knew you, and that my dear friend, Sir John Wallis,
knew you some years ago; but we do not want to injure you, so we will
not say a word about it. You can rest quite content; we will not talk of
your past."

"In particular you will not talk of my past to Mr. Trevor?"

"No, not even to Mr. Trevor. In short," continued Kitty, "we have made
up our minds to respect your secret, but on a condition."

"Yes?" said Bertha. She spoke in a questioning tone.

"As long as you behave in a perfectly straightforward way; as long as I
have no reason to feel that you are doing anything underhand to
anybody's name, we will respect your secret and leave you undisturbed
in the possession of your present post. I think," continued Kitty, "that
I partly understand matters. You have come here wit