f "feelings," imagining that Ethel had
distrusted her capabilities, and therefore returned; or as Ethel herself
sometimes feared, there might be irritability in her own manner that
gave cause of annoyance. The children were inclined to be riotous with
their new friend, who made much of them continually, and especially
patronised Aubrey; Mary was proud of showing how much she had learned
to do for Margaret in her sister's absence; Dr. May was so much taken up
with his friend, that Ethel saw less of him than usual, and she began to
believe that it had been all a mistake that every one was so dependent
on her, for, in fact, they did much better without her.

Meantime, she heard of the gaieties which the others were enjoying, and
she could not feel heroic when they regretted her. At the end of a week,
Meta Rivers was escorted home from Warwick by two servants, and came
to Stoneborough, giving a lively description of all the concluding
pleasures, but declaring that Ethel's departure had taken away the zest
of the whole, and Mr. Ogilvie had been very disconsolate. Margaret
had not been prepared to hear that Mr. Ogilvie had been so constant a
companion, and was struck by finding that Ethel had passed over one
who had evidently been so great an ingredient in the delights of the
expedition. Meta had, however observed nothing--she was a great deal too
simple and too much engrossed for such notions to have crossed her mind;
but Margaret inferred something, and hoped to learn more when she should
see Flora. This would not be immediately. George and his wife were gone
to London, and thence intended to pay a round of visits; and Norman had
accompanied his namesake to Glenbracken.

Ethel fought hard with her own petulance and sense of tedium at home,
which was, as she felt, particularly uncalled for at present; when Dr.
Spencer was enlivening them so much. He was never in the way, he was
always either busy in the dining-room in the morning with books and
papers, or wandering about his old school-boy haunts in the town, or
taking Adam's place, and driving out Dr. May, or sometimes joining the
children in a walk, to their supreme delight. His sketches, for he
drew most beautifully, were an endless pleasure to Margaret, with his
explanations of them--she even tried to sit up to copy them, and he
began to teach Blanche to draw. The evenings, when there was certain to
be some entertaining talk going on between the two doctors, were very
c