d nurse said several times under her
breath--

"Bless her! the darling she is!"

Smartly dressed, as was her mother's wish, the little girl now ran
downstairs. Miss Winstead was not ready. Sibyl waited for her in the
hall. She felt elated and pleased, and just at that moment a servant
crossed the spacious hall, and opened the hall door. Standing on the
steps was Mr. Rochester. Sibyl uttered a great whoop when she saw him,
rushed forward, and seized him by the hand.

"Oh, I am glad to see you," she said. "Have you come to see me, or to
see mother?"

"I am very glad to see you," replied the young man; "but I did call to
see your mother."

"Well, come to the drawing-room, I'll entertain you till mother
comes. Go upstairs, please, Watson, and tell mother that Mr. Rochester
is here. Be sure you say Mr. Rochester--_nice_ Mr. Rochester."

Watson smiled, as he often did when Sibyl addressed him, and nice Mr.
Rochester and the little girl disappeared into the drawing-room.

Sibyl shut the door, took his hand, and looked earnestly into his
face.

"Well?" she said.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, in some confusion.

"I was only wondering if Lady Helen had done it."

"Really, Sibyl, you say very queer things," answered Rochester. He sat
down on a chair.

"Oh, you know you are awfully fond of her, and you want her to marry
you, and I want her to marry you because I like you. You are very
nice, very nice indeed, and you are rich, you know. Mother has been
'splaining to me about rich people. It's most 'portant that everybody
should be rich, isn't it, Mr. Rochester? It's the only way to be
truly, truly happy, isn't it?"

"That it is not, Sibyl. Who has been putting such an idea into your
head?"

Sibyl looked at him, and was about to say, "Why, mother," but she
checked herself. A cloud took some of the brightness out of her eyes.
She looked puzzled for a moment, then she laughed.

"When my own father comes back again we'll all be rich people. I hope
when you are very, very rich you'll make," she said, "dear Lady Helen
happy. I am very glad, now, my father went to Australia. It gave me
dreadful pain at the time, but when he comes back we'll all be rich.
What has he gone about; do you know, Mr. Rochester?"

"Something about a gold mine. Your father is a great engineer, and his
opinion with regard to the mine will be of the utmost value. If he
says it is a good mine, with a lot of gold in it, then the British
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