irth because she was told she was
going to another mother. She dried her eyes at this thought, and was
tolerably cheerful during the voyage over. On reaching England the news
of Mrs. Maybright's death was broken to her. Again Flower stormed and
raged; she gave poor little David a dreadful night, but in the morning
her tears were dried, her smile had returned, and she went down to
Sleepy Hollow with the Doctor in fairly good spirits.

The young Maybrights were all on their best behavior--Flower was on
hers, and until the day of the picnic all went well.

It did not take a great deal to rouse first the obstinate pride of this
young Australian, and then her unbridled passions. Associate with a
servant? No, that she would never, never do. Show Polly that she
approved of her conduct? Not while her own name was Flower Dalrymple.
She let all the other happy children go down to the banqueting-hall
without her, and strode away, miserable at heart, choking with rage and
fury.

The Dalrymples were very wealthy people, and Flower's home in Ballarat
was furnished with every luxury. Notwithstanding this, the little girl
had never been in a truly refined dwelling-house until she took up her
abode in old-fashioned Sleepy Hollow. Flower had taken a great fancy to
Helen, and she already warmly loved Dr. Maybright. She was wandering
over the moor now, a miserable, storm-tossed little personage, when she
saw his old-fashioned gig and white pony "Rowney" approaching. That old
gig and the person who sat in it--for Dr. Maybright drove
himself--began to act on the heart of the child with a curious magnetic
force. Step by step they caused her to turn, until she reached Troublous
Times Castle almost as soon as the Doctor. She did not know why she was
coming back, for she had not the remotest idea of yielding her will to
Polly's. Still she had a kind of instinct that the Doctor would set
things right. By this she meant that he would give her her own way and
banish Maggie from the scene of festivity.

The banqueting-hall at the old castle could be reached by two ways: you
might approach it quite easily over the green sward, or you might enter
a higher part of the castle, and come to it down broken steps.

The Doctor chose one way of approaching the scene of the feast, Flower
another. She was about to descend when she heard voices: Polly was
eagerly asking permission for Maggie to dine with them; the Doctor, in
his easy, genial tones, was givi