"And keep yourself to yourself, madam. Recollect, please, that you're
my niece, staying in the house, and not one of the servants."

"Yes, aunt."

The door opened, and the butler put in his head.

"It's lunch-time now, and I am having the things taken in again."

"That's quite right."

"Do you want to come?"

"Not now; only Mary shall bring in the vegetables."

"Hadn't William better help?" said the butler.

"No, not to-day. There will be a pack more people here to-morrow, and
she can't come then. Here, child, take these clean napkins and be ready
to carry them into the dining-room."

"But my face, aunt--won't they see?"

"What--that you have been crying?" said the housekeeper, critically.
"No; they won't. Stop here a minute while I go out into the hall."

The girl, from being scarlet, was now pale, but quite a little "rustic
beauty" all the same; and she stood by the linen press looking very
troubled, while Mrs Lloyd went back into the hall, where Trevor had
stepped out to speak to the butler.

"Oh, there you are, Mrs Lloyd," he said, in a quiet, decided tone of
voice. "I was just speaking to Lloyd about one or two little matters.
Of course, I feel the highest respect for both you and your worthy
husband."

"Thank you, Master Dick," said the housekeeper, stiffly.

"Yes, that's it," said Trevor. "And of course you can't help looking
upon me as the boy you were almost father and mother to at one time."

"Of course not," said Mrs Lloyd, stiffly; "but you don't mean to turn
us away now you have grown a man?"

"God forbid!" said Trevor, earnestly. "While I live, this is your home,
and I shall interfere but little with you in the conduct of the house.
But I take this opportunity of saying that I must ask of you both to
remember--old friends as well as old servants of the family--that I have
now come back to take my position here as the master of Penreife, and
that, in speaking to me before visitors, `Master Dick' sounds rather
childish. That will do, Mrs Lloyd. Yes, Lloyd, you can bring in some
of the claret."

He walked into the dining-room, the quiet, calm man of the world, with
enough dignity and self-assertion to show the housekeeper that the days
of her rule had departed for ever.

"That's going to sea, that is," she muttered. "That's being used to
order people about, and being an officer. But we shall see, Master
Dick--we shall see!"

And with a quick, spasmodic twitching of her hand