got this idea in his head.'

'What idea, Miss Darrell?'

'Dear, dear, how sharp you are! how you take me up! Of course it is only
Giles's ill temper: he cannot really think you wanting in ballast.'

'Oh, I understand now. Please go on.'

'But I have no more to say,' rather bewildered by my abruptness. 'Of
course we shall see you soon, when all this has blown over. If you like,
I will tell Giles I have seen you.'

'Please tell Mr. Hamilton nothing. I will speak to him myself.
Good-night, Miss Darrell; I am rather cold and tired after my day's work.
I do not in the least expect that Miss Hamilton has taken any harm.' And
I made my escape. I do not know what Miss Darrell thought of me, but she
walked on rather thoughtfully; as for me, I felt tingling all over with
irritation. If Mr. Hamilton had dared to imply these things of me, I
should hardly be able to keep my promise to Uncle Max, for I would
certainly decline to visit at Gladwyn.

CHAPTER XVIII

MISS HAMILTON'S LITTLE SCHOLAR

Miss Darrell's innuendoes were not to be borne with any degree of
patience. Mr. Hamilton's opinion might be nothing to me,--how often I
repeated that!--but all the same I owed it to my dignity to seek an
explanation with him.

The opportunity came the very next day.

He called to speak to me about a new patient, a little cripple boy who
had broken his arm; the father was a labourer, and there were ten
children, and the mother took in washing. 'Poor Robin has not much chance
of good nursing,' he went on; 'Mrs. Bell is not a bad mother, as mothers
go, but she is overworked and overburdened; she has a good bit of
difficulty in keeping her husband out of the alehouse. Good heavens! what
lives these women lead! it is to be hoped that it will be made up to them
in another world: no washing-tubs and ale-houses there, no bruised bodies
and souls, eh, Miss Garston?'

Mr. Hamilton was talking in his usual fashion; he had taken the arm-chair
I had offered him, and seemed in no hurry to leave it, although his
dinner-hour was approaching. When he had given me full directions about
Robin, and I had promised to go to him directly after my breakfast the
next morning, I said to him in quite a careless manner that I hoped Miss
Hamilton was well and had sustained no ill effects from her visit to me.

'Oh no: she is better than usual. I think you roused her and did her
good. Gladys mopes too much at home. All the same,' in a tolerant tone,