-knot, and twisting some very handsome coral beads that Charlie had
given me round her neck. Jill always looked better for a touch of warm
colour: the dark-red berries just suited her brown skin. 'You will do
better now,' I said, pushing her away gently, 'so you need not pout and
hunch your shoulders. Have I not told you that it is your duty to make
the best of yourself?--we cannot be all handsome, but we need not offend
our neighbours' eyes.' But, as usual, Jill turned a deaf ear to my
philosophy.

The study looked very cosy when we entered it, and Uncle Max gave us a
warm welcome. To be sure, he shook his head at Jill, and told her that he
was afraid she was a naughty girl, but both he and Mr. Tudor prudently
refrained from teasing her on the subject of her escapade. On the
contrary, they treated her with profound respect, as though she were
a grown-up, sensible young lady, and this answered with Jill. She grew
bright and animated, forgot her shyness, and talked in her quaint racy
manner. I could see that Mr. Tudor was much taken with her. She was so
different from the stereotyped young lady; her cleverness and originality
amused him; and I am sure Uncle Max was equally surprised and pleased.

I could see Max was making strenuous efforts to be cheerful, but every
now and then he relapsed into gravity. After dinner I drew him aside a
moment to speak to him about Jill: to my relief, he promised to be the
bearer of a letter to Aunt Philippa.

'I want to go up to town for a day or two,' he said, 'and I may as well
do this business for you. How happy the child looks, Ursula! I wish you
could keep her a little longer. She is very much improved. I had no idea
that there was so much in her; she will be far more attractive than Sara
when she has developed a moderate amount of vanity.' And I fully endorsed
this opinion.

We went home early, for I could see Max was very tired, but both he and
Mr. Tudor insisted on escorting us. It was a beautiful starlight night,
clear and frosty: our footsteps rang crisply on the ground: not a breath
of wind stirred the skeleton branches that stretched above our heads: a
solemn peacefulness seemed to close us round. Jill's mirthful laugh quite
startled the echoes. She and Mr. Tudor were following very slowly. Once
or twice we stood still and waited for them, but Mr. Tudor was in the
middle of some amusing story, and so they took no notice of us.

I told Max about my visit to Mrs. Maberley,