e restored her to composure.

She turned her large child-like eyes on him with mute reproach.

"You should have told me before," were her first articulate words. "No
wonder Cecil hated me when you were pretending to care for me behind her
back."

Bertie murmured,--"There was no pretence in the matter."

"Then why do you marry Cecil?" asked Bluebell, with the most
uncompromising directness. "Is it because she is rich?"

"Confound it," thought Du Meresq; "I trust she won't suggest that to
Cecil."

"Can't I love you both?" cried he, somewhat irritated; and just then Miss
Prosody and her brood appeared in sight.

"I return you my share," exclaimed Bluebell, breaking abruptly from him,
and, running down the path, joined the governess and children.

Du Meresq had rather a bad quarter of an hour over the pipe which this
sentimental episode had extinguished; but he could not regret, in the
face of his new engagement, the _finale_ of a past and now inopportune
love-affair.

Bluebell did not come down to dinner that day nor see Du Meresq again;
but afterwards, Mrs. Rolleston, who was in nobody's confidence, and had
the uneasy conviction that something was going desperately wrong, came
into her room.

Bluebell's state of repression could endure no longer. She began by
entreating Mrs. Rolleston to accept Mrs. Leighton's situation, and let
her go to England at once; and after that it did not take much pressing
to induce her to make full confession of all that had passed.

It must be remembered that Bluebell was under the impression that her
friend had always known of the flirtation between herself and Bertie; but
now for the first time the horror-stricken Mrs. Rolleston had her eyes
opened to what had been passing before them.

Everything burst on her at once. Recollection and perception awoke
together. To keep it from Cecil seemed the most urgent necessity, and the
removal of Bluebell the thing most to be wished for.

Bluebell was disposed to keep back nothing, and answered every question
with frank recklessness. She told of their first walk in the wood, their
frequent interviews at "The Maples," and Bertie's visit to the cottage,
laughing at the idea of having ever seriously cared for Jack Vavasour.

Mrs. Rolleston remembered that Cecil had not shared her delusion on that
subject, and anxiously inquired if she had ever acknowledged to her her
_penchant_ for Bertie.

Bluebell answered in the negative, giving as a