d her;" and happy was her face
when her father quitted her.

Margaret's next visitor was Meta, who came to reclaim her bonnet, and,
with a merry smile, to leave word that she was walking on to Cocksmoor.
Margaret remonstrated on the heat.

"Let me alone," said she, making her pretty wilful gesture. "Ethel and
Mary ought to have a lift, and I have had no walking to-day."

"My dear, you don't know how far it is. You can't go alone."

"I am lying in wait for Miss Bracy, or something innocent," said Meta.
"In good time--here comes Tom."

Tom entered, declaring that he had come to escape from the clack
downstairs.

"I'll promise not to clack if you will be so kind as to take care of me
to Cocksmoor," said Meta.

"Do you intend to walk?"

"If you will let me be your companion."

"I shall be most happy," said Tom, colouring with gratification, such
as he might not have felt, had he known that he was chosen for his
innocence.

He took a passing glimpse at his neck-tie, screwed up the nap of his
glossy hat to the perfection of its central point, armed himself with
a knowing little stick, and hurried his fair companion out by the back
door, as much afraid of losing the glory of being her sole protector as
she was of falling in with an escort of as much consequence, in other
eyes, as was Mr. Thomas in his own.

She knew him less than any of the rest, and her first amusement was
keeping silence to punish him for complaining of clack; but he explained
that he did not mean quiet, sensible conversation--he only referred to
those foolish women's raptures over the gabble they had been hearing at
the Town Hall.

She exclaimed, whereupon he began to criticise the speakers with a good
deal of acuteness, exposing the weak points, but magnanimously owning
that it was tolerable for the style of thing, and might go down at
Stoneborough.

"I wonder you did not stay away as Harry did."

"I thought it would be marked," observed the thread-paper Tom, as if he
had been at least county member.

"You did quite right," said Meta, really thinking so.

"I wished to hear Dr. Spencer, too," said Tom. "There is a man who does
know how to speak! He has seen something of the world, and knows what he
is talking of."

"But he did not come near Norman."

"I hated listening to Norman," said Tom. "Why should he go and set his
heart on those black savages?"

"They are not savages in New Zealand."

"They are all niggers together," said T