herine did, there
was no manifestation of ill-will. The Danforths had expected Mrs. Verdon
to join them in bewailing the foolish match, but she had quietly and
cleverly disappointed them. They had left her with the impression that
they must have been mistaken in her from the first. She had never
thought as seriously of Arnold as they had supposed; she had amused
herself with their schemes and hopes, and that was all.

"I was never sure of her from the beginning," said Mr. Danforth to his
daughters. "She has been always perfectly contented with her position.
There were no signs of restlessness about her at all. But you girls are
dead sure of everything; when you take a notion into your heads you
can't listen to reason."

He had been very cross all day, finding fault with everything that "the
girls" said and did, until he had driven them both to the verge of
desperation; and Lily, when she went upstairs to dress for dinner, was
wondering how she should get through that miserable meal without
bursting into a great fit of crying.

She thought how happy Elsie Kilner must be at that moment with Arnold as
her declared lover. No doubt Francis Ryan was moping about Willow Farm
in a state of unacknowledged wretchedness. She was sure that Francis had
really liked that girl; she had seen his feelings plainly on the day of
the picnic. Perhaps he would go away altogether from Rushbrook, unable
to bear the sight of his rival's happiness. And this was to be the
ending of Lily's dream!

But it is best not to be too certain about endings and beginnings; they
look so like each other sometimes, and are apt to be so oddly mixed up
in our lives.

When you are thoroughly heart-sick and hopeless, dress is quite an
unimportant thing. Lily put on a cream-white cashmere gown which had
seen its best days, noticed that the skirt was soiled, and said with Mr.
Toots that it was of no consequence. There were some clusters of pink
geranium in a glass on her table, and she pinned them on her bodice in a
dejected fashion. Then she went downstairs slowly, with her bright
cheeks paler than usual and all her sprightliness gone.

The lights were golden on the lawn, and the great cedar was casting
velvety shadows there. Her father was standing under the old tree,
looking so jovial and radiant that she marvelled at the sudden change in
his mood. Some one, who stood with his back towards the house, was in
close conversation with Mr. Danforth.

"Here sh