ast, there were
still times when she was painfully reminded of the happy days that would
never return, not that she grieved for the loss of Louis, as he now
stood revealed in his true character. She knew that it had been her own
ideal Louis that she had loved, she had clothed him with virtue that he
did not possess, and ascribed to him a nobleness of nature to which he
was a stranger, and her bitter sorrow was that he should have proved so
different to what she had believed him. She had already begun to think
that, as he was what he was, it was all for the best, and even now she
felt more of contempt than love regarding him, though nothing short of
the offensive and aggravated circumstances that had taken place, could
have served to quench such love as her's.

Isabel avoided giving an answer to Emily's question, by drawing
attention to a beautiful yacht that was now making the harbor, this did
for the time, but Emily had made enough by her venture to plague Isabel
sufficiently about the doctor, so much so, that Everard took occasion
when they two were walking in the shrubbery to remonstrate with his
sister, "Emily," he said, "can't you see that Miss Leicester is really
annoyed at your nonsense, and I think that it amounts to rudeness in
such a case."

"Oh she don't care about it."

"You are mistaken Emily."

"Oh, but it is such fun, I do so like to make her color up, she looks so
pretty."

"But when you see that it really annoys----."

"When I get into the spirit of the thing, I can't stop." interrupted
Emily.

"I know it," replied Everard gently, "and that is the reason that I
mention it, otherwise the matter is too trivial to comment upon."

The tears stood in Emily's eyes, "I did not mean any harm," she said
softly, for Everard had great influence, and the secret of this
influence which he had acquired over all the family was, that he was
gentle yet very firm.

"I did not say that there was any harm, only you should learn to stop
when you see that it annoys, and surely you might abstain from such
nonsense on a Sunday, it is setting the children a bad example to say
the least of it."

CHAPTER XIII.

Isabel and the children remained the greater part of the summer at
D----, but Emily returned home to join her mamma and sister, who had
consented to join an expedition that had been got up among a few select
friends. Upon the last afternoon of their stay at D---- they went for a
ramble into a pretty