nt, and then said, "If it is of any
consequence for you to know, I shall be writing in any case to Mrs.
Lavender about some little private matter."

Ingram did not receive this promise with any great show of delight.
"You see," he said, somewhat glumly, "if I am to meet you anywhere, I
should like to know the various stages of your route, so that I could
guard against our missing each other."

"You have decided to go, then?"

Ingram, not looking at her, but looking at Sheila, said, "Yes;" and
Sheila, despite all her efforts, could not help glancing up with
a brief smile and blush of pleasure that were quite visible to
everybody.

Mrs. Lorraine struck in with a sort of nervous haste: "Oh, that will
be very pleasant for mamma, for she gets rather tired of me at times
when we are traveling. Two women who always read the same sort of
books, and have the same opinions about the people they meet, and
have precisely the same tastes in everything, are not very amusing
companions for each other. You want a little discussion thrown in."

"And if we meet Mr. Ingram we are sure to have that," Mrs. Kavanagh
said benignly.

"And you want somebody to give you new opinions and put things
differently, you know. I am sure mamma will be most kind to you if you
can make it convenient to spend a few days with us, Mr. Ingram."

"And I have been trying to persuade Mr. Mackenzie and this young lady
to come also," said Ingram.

"Oh, that would be delightful!" Mrs. Lorraine cried, suddenly taking
Sheila's hand. "You will come, won't you? We should have such a
pleasant party. I am sure your papa would be most interested; and we
are not tied to any route: we should go wherever you pleased."

She would have gone on beseeching and advising, but she saw something
in Sheila's face which told her that all her efforts would be
unavailing.

"It is very kind of you," Sheila said, "but I do not think I can go to
the Tyrol."

"Then you shall go back to the Lewis, Sheila," her father said.

"I cannot go back to the Lewis, papa," she said simply; and at this
point Ingram, perceiving how painful the discussion was for the girl,
suddenly called attention to the hour, and asked Mrs. Kavanagh if all
her portmanteaus were strapped up.

They drove in a body down to the station, and Mr. Ingram was most
assiduous in supplying the two travelers with an abundance of
everything they could not possibly want. He got them a reading-lamp,
though both of th