e, resolute
young fellow who followed his mother up the gravel path, but at the
moment Geoffrey Greville appeared in Mrs Ramsden's eyes as the
destroyer of her happiness, the serpent who had brought discord into
Eden! She was in truth an honest little Puritan in whose sight the good
things of the world were but as snares and pitfalls. So far from
feeling any pleasure in the thought that her daughter might one day
reign as the great lady of the neighbourhood, the prospect filled her
with unaffected dread, and the needle's eye had been quoted almost as
frequently as the serpent's teeth, during the last week. She turned
away from the window with a shudder of distress.

The door opened, and Madame entered, bringing with her that faint,
delicious fragrance of violets which seemed inseparable from her person.
Contrary to her hostess's expectation, she was wreathed in smiles, and
even more gracious than of yore. She pressed the plump little hand
extended towards her, kissed Elma on the cheek, exclaimed prettily upon
the comfort of the chair to which she was escorted, and chatted about
the weather as if her coming were an ordinary society call. Mrs
Ramsden, being unaccustomed to the ways of fashionable warfare, was
flurried and thrown off her balance by so unexpected an opening to the
fray, and had hard work to answer connectedly. She was, moreover,
keenly on the alert to watch the meeting between Elma and Geoffrey, whom
she had not seen in each other's company since the fatal visit to the
Manor. They shook hands without speaking a word, but their eyes met,
and at the sight of that look, the onlooker thrilled with a memory of
long ago. That glance, that silent hand-grasp softened her heart more
than a hundred arguments. It was an ocular demonstration of what had
until now been merely words!

The trim maid brought in the tea-tray and proceeded to set it out on the
little table in front of her mistress. It was a good hour earlier than
the time when the meal was served at the Manor, but the little business
of handing round cups and cake broke the embarrassment of the first few
minutes, and was therefore welcome to all. Elma began as usual to wait
upon her guests, but Geoffrey took the plates out of her hand with an
air of gentle authority, which the elder ladies were quick to note. It
was the air of the master, the proprietor; as significant in its way as
was Elma's blushing obedience. Once again Mrs Ramsden felt a p