y this morning at the idea of seeing you in your old room
and knowing you will be here a whole fortnight. I declare, after all,
Sara is very nice to get married.'

No, Jill was not changed; she was as real and big and demonstrative as
usual, but somehow she looked nicer.

'You must be quick,' she continued, 'for father has come in, and Clayton
has taken in the tea. We must go down directly; but I want you to see
Miss Gillespie first.' And Jill looked proud and eager as she led me down
the passage.

The schoolroom was still the same dull back room that Aunt Philippa
thought so conducive to her young daughter's studies, but it certainly
looked more cheerful this evening.

The window was opened. There was a window-box full of gay flowers. A
great bowl of my favourite wall-flowers was on the table, and another
vase, with trails of laburnum and lilac, was on Jill's little table. The
fresh air and sunshine and the sweet scent of the flowers had quite
transformed the dingy room. There was new cretonne on the old sofa, a
handsome cloth on the centre-table, and a new easy-chair.

Miss Gillespie was sitting by the window, reading. She had an interesting
face and rather sad gray eyes, but her manner was decidedly
prepossessing.

She looked at her pupil with affection. Evidently Jill's abruptness and
awkwardness were not misunderstood by her.

'I want you two to like each other,' Jill had said, without a pretence of
introduction; and we had both laughed and extended our hands.

'I seem to know you already, Miss Garston,' she said, in a pleasant
voice. 'Jocelyn talks about you so much that you cannot be a stranger
to me.--Do you know your father has come in, dear?' turning to Jill.

'Yes, and I must take my cousin downstairs. Good-bye for the present,
Gypsy.'

Miss Gillespie smiled again when she saw my astonishment at Jill's
familiarity.

'Jocelyn thinks my name too long, and has abbreviated it to Gypsy. Mrs.
Garston was terribly shocked at first, but I told her that it did not
matter in the least: in fact, I like it.'

'She is such a dear old thing!' burst out Jill, as we left the schoolroom
and proceeded downstairs arm in arm. 'I never think of her as my
governess; she is just a kind friend who helps me with my lessons and
walks with me. We do have such cosy times together. Does not the
schoolroom look nice, Ursie?'

'Very nice indeed, my dear.'

'So I think; but Sara says it is horrid: she has made mother promi