"I don't see much of my neighbors," he said, rather
drily. "They don't approve of my family. But I like the scenery--and I
have a friend or two--Miss Colwyn, for instance, who is a kinswoman of
mine, you know."

"Oh, yes!" said Margaret, eagerly. Her momentary distrust of him
vanished when she remembered Janetta. Of course, Janetta's cousin _must_
be "nice!"--"I am so fond of Janetta: she is so clever and so good."

"It is a great thing for her to have a friend like you," said Wyvis,
looking at her wistfully. In very truth, she was a wonderment to him;
she seemed so ethereal, so saint-like, so innocent! And Margaret smiled
pensively in return: unlimited admiration was quite to her taste.

"Do you often walk here?" he inquired, when at last she said that she
must return home.

And she said--"Sometimes."

"Sometimes" is a very indefinite and convenient word. It may mean
anything or nothing. In a very short time, it meant that Margaret took a
book out with her and walked down to the boundary stream about three
times a week, if not oftener, and that Wyvis Brand was always there to
bear her company. Before long a few stepping-stones were dropped into
the brook, so that she could cross it without wetting her dainty feet.
It was shadier and cooler in the closely-grown plantation than in the
open park. And meetings in the plantation were less likely to be
discovered than in a more public place.

CHAPTER XXIV.

LADY ASHLEY'S GARDEN PARTY.

It may be wondered that Margaret had so much idle time upon her hands,
and was not more constantly supervised in her comings and goings by Lady
Caroline. But certain occurrences in the Adair family made it easy just
then for her to go her own way. Mr. Adair was obliged to stay in London
on business, and while he was away very little was doing at Helmsley
Court. Lady Caroline took the opportunity of his absence to "give way" a
little: she suffered occasionally from neuralgia, and the doctor
recommended her not to rise much before noon. Margaret's comfort and
welfare were not neglected. A Miss Stone, a distant relation of Lady
Caroline's, came to spend a few weeks at the Court as a companion for
Margaret. Miss Stone was not at all a disagreeable person. She could
play tennis, dance, and sing; she could accompany Margaret's songs: she
could talk or be silent, as seemed good to her; and she was a model of
tact and discretion. She was about thirty-five, but looked younger: she
dr