entered, followed by Jill, who had met her
brother soon after starting for her walk, and had escorted him back to
the house.

She raised her eyebrows at the sight of Mr Gerard. Had he not refused
to go out with her a few minutes before, on the score of letters to be
written? Yet here he was, talking to Betty, with never a pretence of
paper or ink in the room.

Jill came down to dinner an hour or two later, attired in her prettiest
dress, with the little curl, which Jack naughtily termed the "War Cry,"
artlessly displayed on her forehead. She did not care two pins about
her brother's partner, but it was her nature to wish to reign supreme
with any man with whom she was brought into contact, so she was her most
captivating self all the evening, and Will Gerard laid his hand on his
heart and bowed before her, laughed at her sallies, and applauded her
songs, as he had done every evening since his arrival, and Betty laughed
and applauded in her turn, without a trace of the old rankling jealousy.
"He talks to her, but he looks at me. He wants _me_ to be his friend!"
she told herself with a proud content.

For the first time for many a long year her dreams that night were in
the present, instead of in the past.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

A MOONLIGHT WALK.

Cynthia wrote to beg that Betty would soon come down to see her, and
bring her old pupil to be reintroduced to his mentor, but time passed
by, and one day after another was vetoed by Miles himself. Betty was
nonplussed. It seemed as if he did not want to go. Yet she could
hardly believe that such could be the case, when she recalled to memory
the tone of his voice, the look on his face when, for the first and last
time since his return, Miles had voluntarily mentioned Cynthia's name.

"It is quite an easy journey. We can get there in less than two hours
by an express train, stay for lunch and tea, and get home again in time
for dinner. I've been down twice this spring, and it is quite easily
managed," she protested; but Miles would do nothing but grunt, and
refuse a definite answer. To spend three or four hours in Franton, a
large proportion of which would be taken up in eating meals, and talking
to other people--this was not his idea of a first visit to Cynthia after
six years of absence. He continued to grunt and make objections for the
next few weeks, and then one night at dinner he announced airily--

"I've taken rooms at the Grand at Franton for a we