eemed so feeble that I could not help watching you cross the
road; and then you slipped, and I felt you had hurt yourself. I fear
from what my husband tells me that it will be some little time before
you will be able to get out again."

"So he says, and he threatens me with crutches," returned the old man,
grimly; "but, as I seldom cross the threshold in winter, I need not
trouble myself about that. Are you fond of flowers, Mrs. Luttrell?" as
Olivia's eyes wandered to the splendid exotics round her. "Crampton
shall cut you some presently. My library and my winter garden form my
entire world now."

"And you live among all these lovely things!" observed Olivia, almost
in a tone of awe. "Oh, if only Aunt Madge could see these flowers!"

She spoke impulsively without considering her words, and blushed a
little when she saw Mr. Gaythorne lift his eyebrows cynically.

"I was only thinking of my aunt, Mrs. Broderick," she said,
apologetically. "She is such a sad invalid; she has never been out
once since Uncle Fergus died, and that is ever so many years ago, and
she suffers such dreadful pain sometimes. The doctors say her
complaint is incurable, and she is not at all old. She lives all alone
with her maid, and never goes beyond her two rooms, and yet no one
hears her complain."

"Mrs. Broderick must be a wonderful person. She beats Job," returned
Mr. Gaythorne, with a cynical curl of his lip; but Olivia was too much
engrossed with her subject to notice it.

"Oh, she is wonderful!" she returned, earnestly. "I never met any one
like her. She is the bravest woman I know. Even the Vicar says so.
Don't you love pluck, Mr. Gaythorne? So few people are plucky in that
sense. Aunt Madge has lost everything she cares for--husband and child
and health; but she bears it all so beautifully, and makes the best of
things. I could not help thinking of her when I saw all those lovely
flowers; she simply dotes on flowers! There are always some on her
little table; flowers and books, those are her sole pleasures."

"What on earth made you hold forth on Aunt Madge's virtues, you absurd
child?" was Marcus's comment when Olivia repeated this portion of her
conversation. "Fancy entertaining Mr. Gaythorne with an account of
your relations!"--and Olivia blushed guiltily.

"It does sound odd if you put it in that way, Marcus," she returned;
"but when I saw all those beautiful flowers, Aunt Madge just jumped
into my head, and