and was dreadfully afraid of the colonel's banter,
was not mean enough to take advantage of her dismissal. He had joined
himself to her company out of pure good nature, for it was a hot day
and the parcel was heavy, but she would have none of his assistance.

So he only waved his hand to his friend, who took off his old felt hat
very solemnly in return, and watched them with a grieved expression
until they were out of sight.

"Now I will bid you good-bye," he said, when they had reached the
vicarage.

Phillis said nothing; but she held out her hand, and there was a
certain brightness in her eyes that showed she was pleased.

"He is a gentleman, every inch of him; and I won't quarrel with him
any more," she thought, as she walked up to the Friary. "Oh, how nice
it would have been if we were still at Glen Cottage and he could see
us at our best, and we were able to entertain him in our old fashion!
How Carrie and the other girls would have liked him! and how jealous
Dick would have been! for he never liked our bringing strange young
men to the house, and always found fault with them if he could," and
here Phillis sighed, and for the moment Mrs. Trimmings was forgotten.

CHAPTER XXIII.

"BRAVO, ATALANTA!"

Phillis received quite an ovation as soon as she crossed the
threshold. Dulce, who was listening for her footsteps, rushed out into
the little hall, and dragged her in, as though she were too weary to
have any movement or volition of her own. And then Nan came up, in her
calm elder-sisterly way, and put her arm round her, and hoped she was
not so very tired, and there was so much to say, and so much to do,
and she wanted her advice, and so on.

And on Nan's forehead lay a thoughtful pucker; and on the centre-table
were sundry breadths of green silk, crisp-looking and faintly bronzed,
like withered leaves with the sun on them.

"Oh, dear! has Miss Drummond been here in my absence?" asked Phillis,
with the overwhelmed feeling of a beginner, who has not yet learned to
separate and classify, or the rich value of odd moments. "Three
dresses to be done at once!"

"One at a time. But never mind Miss Drummond's this moment. Mother is
safe in the store-cupboard for the next half-hour, and we want to know
what you mean by your ridiculous message, 'Trimmings, not Squails.'
Dulce is dying of curiosity, and so am I."

"Yes; but she looks so hot and tired that she must refresh herself
first." And Dulce placed on