bye."

"Is it important to you to have pupils?" Sir Philip asked, as seriously
and anxiously as if the fate of the empire depended on his reply.

"Oh, most important." Janetta's face and voice were more pathetic than
she knew. Sir Philip was silent for a moment.

"I have heard you sing," he said at length, in his grave, earnest way.
"I am sure that I should have no hesitation in recommending you--if my
recommendation were of any use. My mother may perhaps hear of somebody
who wants lessons, if you will allow me to mention the matter to her."

"I shall be very much obliged to you," said Janetta, feeling grateful
and yet a little startled--it did not seem natural to her in her sweet
humility that Sir Philip and his mother should interest themselves in
her welfare. "Oh, _very_ much obliged."

Sir Philip raised his hat and smiled down kindly upon her as he said
good-bye. He had been interested from the very first in Margaret's
friend. And he had always been vaguely conscious that Margaret's
friendship was not likely to produce any very desirable results.

Janetta went on her way, feeling for the moment a little less desolate
than she had felt before. Sir Philip turned homewards to seek his
mother, who was a woman of whom many people stood in awe, but whose
kindness of heart was never known to fail. To her Sir Philip at once
poured out his story with the directness and Quixotic ardor which some
of his friends found incomprehensible, not to say absurd. But Lady
Ashley never thought so.

She smiled very kindly as her son finished his little tale.

"She is really a good singer, you say? Mr. Colwyn's daughter. I have
seen him once or twice."

"He was a good fellow."

"Yes, I believe so. Miss Morrison's school, did you mention? Why, Mabel
Hartley is there." Mabel Hartley was a distant cousin of the Ashleys. "I
will call to-morrow, Philip, and find out what the objection is to Miss
Colwyn. If it can be removed I don't see why she should not teach Mabel,
who, I remember, has a voice."

Lady Ashley carried out her intention, and announced the result to her
son the following evening.

"I have not succeeded, dear. Miss Morrison has been prejudiced by some
report from Miss Polehampton, with whom Miss Colwyn and Margaret Adair
were at school. She said that the two girls were expelled together."

Sir Philip was silent for a minute or two. His brows contracted. "I was
afraid," he said, "that Miss Adair's championship of her