Frank, little knowing what was passing, was working the whole day at
his tutor's for the closely imminent examination; Julius and Raymond
were gravely polite; Eleonora very silent; and as soon as the meal
was over, Rosamond declared that she should not come out to stand
planning in the cold; and though Herbert would have liked nothing
better in that company, his Rector carried him off to arrange an
Advent service in a distant hamlet; Anne's horse came to the door;
and only Joanna remained to accompany the gardening party, except
that Raymond came out with them to mark the limits of permissible
alteration.

"How unchanged!" exclaimed Lady Tyrrell. "Time stands still here;
only where is the grand old magnolia? How sweet it used to be!"

"Killed by the frost," said Raymond, shortly, not choosing to
undergo a course of reminiscences, and chafing his wife by his
repressive manner towards her guest. When he had pointed out the
bed of Americans that were to be her boundary, he excused himself as
having letters to finish; and as he went away Cecil gave vent to her
distaste to the old shrubs and borders, now, of course, at their
worst--the azaleas mere dead branches, the roses with a few yellow
night-capped buds still lingering, and fuchsias with a scanty bell
or two.

Jenny fought for their spring beauty, all the more because Lady
Tyrrell was encouraging the wife to criticize the very things she
had tried to sentimentalize over with the husband; but seeing that
she was only doing harm, she proposed a brisk walk to Eleonora, who
gladly assented, though her sister made a protest about damp, and
her being a bad walker. The last things they heard was Cecil's
sigh, "It is all so shut in, wherever there is level ground, that
the bazaar would be impossible."

"I should hope so!" muttered Jenny.

"What do you mean to do about this bazaar?" asked Eleonora, as they
sped away.

"I don't know. Those things so often go off in smoke, that I don't
make up my mind till they become imminent."

"I am afraid this will go on," said Eleonora. "Camilla means it and
she always carries out her plans; I wish I saw the right line."

"About that?"

"About everything. It seems to me that there never was any one so
cut off from help and advice as I am;" then, as Joanna made some
mute sign of sympathy, "I knew you would understand; I have been
longing to be with you, for there has been no one to whom I could
speak freely since I left Ro