could answer, the impetuous little creature had shut the door in my
face, and I could hear her running down the garden path.

I had not seen Miss Hamilton since the evening Uncle Max discovered us
together, and I could not resist the temptation of finding her alone.
Lady Betty had said she was in her room, and looked dreadfully dull. I
had promised Max to be good to her, so of course it was my duty to go and
cheer her up. I made this so plain to my conscience that in five minutes
more I was on the road to Gladwyn, and before the church bells had
stopped ringing I had entered the dark shrubberies, and was looking at
the closed windows, wondering which of them belonged to Miss Hamilton's
room.

I was agreeably surprised when a pretty-looking maid admitted me. I had
taken a strange dislike to Leah, and the man who had waited upon us at
dinner that evening had a dark, unprepossessing face; but this girl
looked bright and cheerful, and took my message to Miss Hamilton at once
without a moment's hesitation. She returned almost immediately. Miss
Hamilton was in her room, but she would be very glad to see me, and the
girl looked glad too as she led the way to the turret-room. Miss Hamilton
was standing on the threshold, and met me with outstretched hands; she
looked ill and worn, and had a soft white shawl drawn closely round her
as though she were chilly, but her eyes brightened at the sight of me.

'This is good of you, Miss Garston; I never expected such a pleasure.
That will do, Chatty; you can close the door.' And, still holding my
hand, she drew me into the room. It was a pretty room, but furnished
far more simply than Miss Darrell's. The deep bay-window formed a recess
large enough to hold the dressing-table and a chair or two, and was
half-hidden by the blue cretonne curtains; besides this there were two
more windows. Miss Hamilton had been sitting in a low cushioned chair
by the fire; a small table with a lamp and some books was beside her;
a Persian kitten lay on the white rug. On a stand beside a chair was a
large, beautifully-painted photograph in a carved frame; the folding
doors were open, and a vase of flowers stood before it.

'What has put this benevolent idea into your head?' she asked, as she
drew forward a comfortable wicker chair with a soft padded seat. 'I
thought I had a long, dull evening before me, with no resource but my own
thoughts, for I was tired of reading. I could scarcely believe Chatty
when