d Halcyone, "but you see, I can speak French
and German quite decently, and the other things surely I might learn
myself in between the old gentleman's teaching."

"But what do you know of this--this stranger?" demanded Miss La Sarthe.
"You allude to someone of whom neither your Aunt Roberta nor I have ever
heard."

"I met him to-day. I went into the orchard as usual, and found the house
was inhabited, and I saw him and he asked me in to tea. He is a very old
gentleman with a long white beard, and very, very clever. His room is
full of Greek books and we had a long talk, and he was very kind and
said he would teach me to read them."

This seemed to Halcyone to be sufficient in the way of credentials for
anyone.

"I have heard from Hester," Miss Roberta interposed timidly, "that the
orchard house has been bought by an Oxford professor--it sounds most
respectable, does it not, sister?"

Miss La Sarthe looked stern:

"More than thirty-five years ago, Roberta, I told you I disapproved of
Hester's chattering. I cannot conceive personally, how you can converse
with servants as you do. Hester would not have dared to gossip to me!"

Poor Miss Roberta looked crushed. She had often been chided on this
point before.

Halcyone would like to have reminded her elder aunt that William, who
was equally a servant, had announced some such news to her that
afternoon; but she remained silent. She must gain her point if she
could, and to argue, she knew, was never a road to success.

"I am sure if we could get a really nice English girl," hazarded Miss
Roberta, wishing to propitiate, "it might be company for us all,
Ginevra--but if Mrs. Anderton insists upon sending another foreign
person--"

"And of course she will," interrupted the elder lady; "people of Mrs.
Anderton's class always think it is more genteel to have a smattering of
foreign languages than to know their own mother tongue. We may get
another German--and that I could hardly bear."

"Then do write to my stepfather, please, please," cried Halcyone. "Say I
am going to be splendidly taught--lots of interesting things--and oh--I
will try so hard by myself to keep up what I already know. I will
practice--really, really, Aunt Ginevra--and do my German exercises and
dear Aunt Roberta can talk French to me and even teach me the Italian
songs that she sings so beautifully to her guitar!"

This last won the day as far as Miss Roberta was concerned. Her faded
cheeks flushe