ith their own frightening images and fear it because they themselves
have turned it into evil. The dark is as kind as the day."

John Derringham laughed. He was amused at this precocious wisdom and he
suddenly remembered that his old master had mentioned some clever child
when writing to him first about the place, two months before. This was
the creature, then, who was learning Greek. She had picked up these
ideas, of course, out of some book and was showing off. Children should
be snubbed and kept in their places:

"Then you don't cry when your nurse leaves you at night without a
candle. What a good little girl! But perhaps you take a doll to bed," he
added mockingly, "or suck your thumb."

Halcyone did not answer, her eyes, benign as a goddess's, looked him
through and through--and Cheiron leaned back in his chair and puffed
volumes of smoke while he chuckled delightedly:

"Take care, John--you will come off second best, for Halcyone can see
the other side of your head."

For some unaccountable reason, John Derringham felt annoyed; but it was
too contemptible to be annoyed by a child, so he laughed as he answered
condescendingly:

"There, I will not tease her. I expect she hates me already--" and he
pushed his hat back from his eyes.

"No," said Halcyone. "One only hates a thing one fears; hate implies
fear. I hated my last but one governess for a while--because she told
lies and was mean and she had the power to keep me in. But once I
reasoned about it, I grew quite indifferent and she had no effect upon
me at all."

"You have not had time to reason about me," returned John Derringham,
"but it is something that you don't hate me; I ought to feel pleased."

"I do not know that there is occasion for that," Halcyone remarked, "it
is all a level thing which does not matter. You are Mr. Carlyon's guest
and I expect will be staying some time--"

"So you will have to put up with me!" and John Derringham laughed,
furious now with himself for his increasing irritation.

"I must be going," Halcyone then announced and got up from her
chair--"and I will tell my aunts that they may expect you to-morrow
night," she continued, addressing Mr. Carlyon.

He rose and prepared to accompany her down the garden. She bowed to John
Derringham with quiet dignity as he still lay on the ground and walked
on by the side of her Professor without further words.

"You don't like my old pupil, Halcyone?" Mr. Carlyon said when they go