-and-thirty years before had
come to the dower-house as an apple-cheeked girl from the village
school, answered the summons. She wore a cap with coloured ribbons--the
two sisters still shook their heads together over her tendency to
dressiness--and dropped a child's curtsey to Cicely as she came in. She
had been far too well-trained to speak until she was spoken to, but Aunt
Ellen said, "Here is Miss Clinton returned from London, Rose, where she
has seen the King and Queen." And Rose said, "Well, there, miss!" with a
smile at Cicely, and before she removed the tea-tray settled the white
shawl more closely round Aunt Ellen's shoulders.

"Rose is a good girl," said Aunt Ellen, when she had left the room, "but
I am afraid more fond of admiration than she should be. Well, dear, now
tell us all about what you have seen and done. But, first of all, how is
your dear father?"

"Oh, quite well, thank you, Aunt Ellen," replied Cicely, "and very
pleased to get home, I think."

"Ah!" said Aunt Ellen. "We have all missed him sorely. I am sure it is
wonderful how he denies himself all kinds of pleasure to remain here and
do his duty. It is an example we should all do well to follow."

"When he was quite a young man," said Aunt Laura, "there was no one who
was gayer--of course in a _nice_ way--and took his part in everything
that was going on in the higher circles of the metropolis. Your dear
Aunt Elizabeth used to cut out the allusions to him in the _Morning
Post_, and there was scarcely a great occasion on which his name was not
mentioned."

"But after two years in his regiment he gave it all up to settle down
amongst his own people," said Aunt Ellen. "All his life has been summed
up in the word 'duty.' I wish there were more like him, but there are
not."

"It seems like yesterday," said Aunt Laura, "that he joined the Horse
Guards Blue. We all wished very much to see him in his beautiful
uniform, which so became him, and your dear Aunt Anne, who was always
the one to make requests if she saw fit, asked him to bring it down to
Kencote and put it on. Dear Edward laughed at her, and refused--quite
kindly, of course--so we all took a little trip to London--it was the
occasion of the opening of the International Reformatory Exhibition at
Islington by the Prince of Wales, as he was then--and your dear father
was in the escort. How noble he looked on his black horse! I assure you
we were all very proud of him."

Cicely sat patien