teran orange trees. Nuttie, however,
exclaimed with pleasure at the nicest room she had seen, and Mark began
unfastening the glass door that led into it. Meantime Alice, with
burning cheeks and liquid eyes, nerved her voice to say, 'Oh, sir--Mr.
Egremont--please forgive me! I know now how wrong I was.'

'Nonsense, my dear. Bygones are bygones. You were far more sinned
against than sinning, and have much to forgive me. There, my dear, we
will say no more about it, nor think of it either. I am only too
thankful that poor Alwyn should have some one to look after him.'

Alice, who had dreaded nothing more than the meeting with her former
master, was infinitely relieved and grateful for this kindness. She
had ejaculated, 'Oh, you are so good!' in the midst, and now at the
mention of her husband, she exclaimed, 'Oh! do you think he is ill? I
can't help being afraid he is, but he will not tell me, and does not
like to be asked.'

'Poor fellow, he has damaged his health a good deal,' was the answer.
'He had a sharp attack in the spring, but he has pretty well got over
it, and Raikes told me there was no reason for uneasiness, provided he
would be careful; and that will be a much easier matter now. I should
not wonder if we saw him with quite a renewed youth.'

So the Canon and Mrs. Egremont were getting on pretty well together,
but there was much more stiffness and less cordiality between the two
cousins, although Mark got the window open into the conservatory, and
showed Nuttie the way into the garden, advising her to ask Ronaldson,
the gardener, to fill the conservatory with flowers. The pavilion, as
this little room was called, always seemed to have more capacities for
being lived in than any other room in the house. It had been fitted up
when such things were the fashion for the shortlived bride of 'our
great uncle.'

'The colour must have been awful then,' said Mark, looking up at it,
'enough to set one's teeth on edge; but it has faded into something
quite orthodox--much better than could be manufactured for you.'

Mark had evidently some ideas of art, and was besides inclined to do
the honours to the stranger; but Nuttie was not going to encourage him
or anybody else to make up to her, while she had that look of Gerard
Godfrey's in her mind's eye. So she made small answer, and he felt
rebuffed, but supposed her shy, and wondered when he could go back to
her mother, who was so much more attractive.

Pr