s
above, and brackens of all shades of brown, green, and yellow
beneath. And it was charming to see Herbert's ways with the old
woman--a dainty old dame, such as is grown in the upper ranks of
service, whom he treated with a hearty, bantering, coaxing manner,
which she evidently enjoyed extremely. His reading, for he _did_
come to more serious matters, was very good--in a voice that without
effort reached deaf ears, and with feeling about it that did a great
deal to reassure his sister that there was something behind the big
bright boy.

But by the time he had done the honours of all the pheasants, and
all the dogs, and all the ferrets, and all the stuffed birds, and
all the eggs (for the keeper was a bit of a naturalist), and had
discussed Mr. Frank's last day's shooting, it was so late, that
Jenny had only just time to walk back to the Hall at her best pace,
to see Mrs. Poynsett for a few minutes before luncheon; and her
reception was, "Is that Herbert's step? Call him in, my dear!--You
must make the most of your sister, Herbert. Come in to all meals
while she is here."

He heard with gratitude--his sister with consternation. If forenoon
pastoral visits were to be on that scale, and he dined out whenever
he was not at school or at church, how would his books fare? and yet
she could not grudge his pleasure. She could not help looking half
foolish, half sad, when she met the Rector's eye.

Julius thought so much of her advice, as to knock at Cecil's
sitting-room door, and beg to ask her a question; and as she liked
to be consulted, she welcomed him hospitably into that temple,
sacred to culture and to Dunstone--full of drawings, books, and
china.

"I was thinking," he said, "of offering Anne some parish work. I
wanted to know if you saw any objection?"

"Certainly not; I have not been able to make acquaintance yet with
all our tenants, but they seem quite to understand the difference in
our positions," said Cecil, with due deliberation.

Julius choked his amusement, and waived that point. "But did you
not feel obliged to decline her services at the Wil'sbro' work-
room?"

"That was quite another thing. What was most undesirable in such an
institution would be all very well for your old women."

"What kind of thing?"

"Talking piously, giving away texts, and so on; just the way to make
the women think we intended to impose religious instruction and give
a sectarian character, defeating our own obje