egret which had been as balm to the girl's sore heart. He, at least,
was sorry that she was not to be in London, and would have preferred her
company even to that of "lovely Lettice" herself.

On the whole, it was almost a relief when the hour for departure
arrived. Rex and Edna drove over to see the last of their friend and
cheer the stay-at-homes by their presence; but it did not seem as though
they could be very successful in their errand of mercy, since Edna cried
steadily behind her handkerchief, and Rex poked holes in the garden
walks with gloomy persistence.

When Mr Rayner said his good-byes, he left Hilary to the last, and held
her hand in his a moment or two longer than was strictly necessary.
"Good-bye, and thank you for all you have done for me. I'll remember
your advice. ... We shall meet soon, I hope. You will be coming up to
town, and Mr Bertrand has been good enough to ask me to come again next
spring."

Next spring! A whole year! As well say the end of the world at once.
Hilary felt such a swelling sense of misery that the only way in which
she could refrain from tears was by answering in sharp, matter-of-fact
tones, and the consciousness that Mr Rayner was surprised and hurt by
her manner was part of the general misery against which it was useless
to fight.

As for Lettice, she was fairly dissolved in tears--clinging to every one
in turn--and sobbing out despairing farewells. "Oh, Norie, Norie! my
heart will break! I shall die; I know I shall. I can never bear it.
Oh, Mouse, don't forget me! Don't let her forget me! Oh, do write--
everyone write! I shall _live_ on the letters from home!"

The last glimpse was of a tear-stained face, and a handkerchief held
aloft in such a drenched condition that it refused to open to the
breeze, and when the carriage turned the corner Miss Briggs shuffled off
to the schoolroom, Hilary ran off to her room upstairs, leaving the
three young people in the porch staring at each other with a miserable
realisation of loss.

"What shall I do?--what shall I do? She said _her_ heart would be
broken, but it is ten times worse for me! The house will seem so
dreadfully bare and lonely!"

"Just when we were all so happy! Oh, that hateful Miss Carr! why did
she ever come? I thought we were going to have such a h-appy summer,"
sobbed Edna dolefully. "It's always the way! As soon as I make
friends, I am bound to lose them."

Rex put his hands into his pocke