'Not me,' said Clare, with a little grimace of disgust.

'Oh, it is a shame!' exclaimed Elfie, springing up, and walking up and
down in her excitement; 'how dare Cousin James behave so treacherously!
Can't we dispute the will? Can't we go to law?'

'It is useless to think of such a thing. We can prove nothing. He is
a man, and has had a jealous feeling of us all our lives. Now fortune
has favoured him, and he is glorying in his prosperity. He is rightly
named James, or Jacob, for he is a base supplanter!'

'Will you give me a cup of tea?'

Gwen started at the voice following her hot outburst so quickly, and
Elfie stopped her hurried walk, and turned a little defiantly towards
the new-comer.

Mr. James Dane was a quiet-looking, sprucely-dressed man of over forty
years of age. He seated himself with the greatest equanimity in the
midst of the group, and Agatha in silence poured him out a cup of tea,
and handed it to him.

'I am afraid I have interrupted a very animated discussion,' he said
blandly. 'I suppose you are arranging future plans. Of course, you
cannot well remain here. Would you like me to take any steps about the
sale for you? I shall be a week longer in town.'

'Mr. Watkins will arrange all that for us, thank you,' replied Agatha
quietly.

'Oh, very well. Why, Elfrida, I never noticed you! Just come back
from Germany, have you? It seems to have suited your health. You are
looking quite bonny.'

'I don't feel so,' was the blunt reply; 'it is not a very happy
home-coming!'

'No, of course not. But, as my wife was saying this morning, you girls
can only have pleasant memories of your dear aunt, who did so much for
you all when she was alive. I remember when first you all arrived from
India, and she was in such an anxious state of bewilderment at the
thought of the charge of four orphan children, my mother said to her,
"Oh, well, Mildred, if you are good enough to educate them, they will
naturally do something later to relieve you of the burden of
maintaining them." And my wife and I have been so surprised at your
all continuing to look upon her house as your rightful home. I suppose
in the goodness of her heart she insisted upon it. Still, nowadays,
young ladies are so independent, and have such a wide scope for their
talents, that we quite expected to hear you were supporting yourselves,
after the liberal education that you have received.'

There was dead silence after this spe