soon as Mr Bertrand's arrival in town became known, he was inundated
with invitations of every description. To most of these it was
impossible to take Hilary, but Miss Carr was indefatigable in escorting
the girl to concerts and entertainments, and insisted that she should
accompany her father when it was possible.

"If the child is old enough to have the responsibility of a household,
she is old enough to have a little enjoyment, and to make her entrance
into society. She is eighteen next May, she tells me, and she is old
for her age. You must certainly take her to Lady Mary's `At Home.'
There will be music, and recitations, and a crowd of people--just the
sort of thing to please a young girl!"

Mr Bertrand shrugged his shoulders and affected to be horrified at the
idea of having to take out a grown-up daughter. "It makes a man feel so
old," he said, "and I know quite well I shall forget all about her when
I begin talking to my old friends! However, I'll do my best. See that
the child has something decent to wear, like a good soul. I'm not so
short of money now as in the days when you used to send hampers to my
rooms in Oxford, and I should like her to look well. She is not a
beauty like Lettice, but she is a nice-looking little girl in her way,
isn't she, Helen?"

"Oh, I think we may give her credit for more than that. She has an
exquisite complexion, and holds up her little head as if she were quite
conscious of being the eldest child of a famous man. You won't be
ashamed of your daughter, I promise you."

Hilary was delighted at the thought of accompanying her father to the
"At Home," but though she gushed over the prospect in her letters to her
sisters, she did her utmost to hide her excitement from Miss Carr. The
old lady had a habit of making sly little hits at her expense, the cause
of which the girl totally misunderstood. She imagined that it was her
youth and want of experience which annoyed her hostess, whereas, in
reality, it was her affectation of age and worldly knowledge. When the
night arrived, however, it was impossible to keep as calm as she would
have liked, as she arrayed herself in her dainty new frock before
dinner. Miss Carr's choice had been eminently successful. A plain
white satin dress with an overskirt of chiffon, which gave an effect of
misty lightness, a wreath of snowdrops among the puffings at the neck,
and long ends of ribbon hanging from the waist. Hilary looked very