know Matty
is not beautiful nor specially attractive, but she has the kindest
heart.' I said perhaps you were flirting, and that I knew you could
flirt. She did not make any answer, only she looked grave, and turned
away when you and Miss Bell came near us."

"That accounts," began Loftus. He did not explain himself further and
by-and-by the little party reached the Manor.

There was an old tumble-down lodge at the gates. It was inhabited by a
very poor man, who, for the sake of getting a shelter over his head, now
and then undertook to clean up and do odd jobs in the Rosendale gardens.
Mrs. Bertram thought it well to have some one in the lodge, and she was
pleased with the economical arrangement she had made with David Tester.

One of his duties was to lock the old gates at night. There was a small
and a large gate leading into the avenue, and it was one of Mrs.
Bertram's special whims that both should be locked at night. Old Tester
thought his mistress foolishly particular on this point, and wondered at
so close a lady going to the expense of new locks, which were sent down
from London, and were particularly good and expensive.

The small gate was furnished with a latch-lock as well. This arrangement
was made for Tester's convenience, so that if Mrs. Bertram and her
daughters chose to be absent from home a little later than usual, he
could still close the gate and go to bed.

When the girls and their brother left home that evening Catherine had
not forgotten the latch-key.

"We may be late," she said, "so I will put it in my pocket."

They were late, and as they approached the old gates Catherine gave the
key to Mabel, who hastened to fit it into the lock of the side gate.

To her surprise it opened at a touch.

"Kate!" exclaimed the young girl, "Tester has been very careless; he has
never closed the side gate."

"I will call him up and speak to him now," said Catherine, who had a
certain touch of her mother's imperious nature. "He shall do it now.
Mother is always most particular about the gates, and she ought not to
be disobeyed in her absence."

Catherine was running across the avenue to wake old Tester when Loftus
laid his hand on her arm.

"You really are too absurd, Kitty," he said. "I simply won't allow that
poor, infirm, old man to be got out of his bed for such a ridiculous
reason. Who cares whether the gates are locked, or not locked?"

"Mother cares," said Catherine, her eyes flashing.

"N