he returned good-humouredly; 'I am all right. Was Mrs.
Baxter as mournful as usual?' To which question Audrey returned a full
explanatory answer.

Michael listened with his usual interest, but he made few comments.
Perhaps his mind was on other things, for when she had finished he said
somewhat irrelevantly:

'You are right, Audrey--Mrs. Blake is certainly a very pretty woman.'

In a moment Vineyard Cottage, Mr. O'Brien, and the mournful Priscilla
vanished from Audrey's mind.

'Oh, Michael! have you really seen her?' she asked breathlessly.

'Well, I am not sure,' was the somewhat provoking answer. 'You were not
there to introduce us, you know, and of course I could not swear that it
was Mrs. Blake.'

'Dear me, how slow you are, Michael!' for he was speaking in a drawling
manner. 'Why can't you tell me all about it in a sensible way?'

'Because there is not much to tell,' he returned calmly. 'I was just
passing the Gray Cottage, when a lady in black came out of the gate. I
was so close that I had to draw back to let her pass, and of course I
just lifted my hat; and she bowed and gave me the sweetest smile--it
haunts me now,' murmured Captain Burnett in a sort of audible aside.

'A lady in black coming out of the Gray Cottage?--of course it was Mrs.
Blake, you foolish fellow!'

'You think so?' rather sleepily. 'Well, perhaps you are right. I
certainly heard a window open, and a girl's voice called out, "Mamma,
will you come back a moment? You have forgotten your sunshade." And the
lady in black said, "Oh, how stupid of me, Mollie!" and then she whisked
through the gate again.'

'Did you stand still in the middle of the road to hear all this,
Michael?'

'No, my dear. There was something wrong with the lock of the
school-house gate. It is sometimes a little difficult--I must tell
Sayers it wants oiling.' Michael's face was inimitable as he made this
remark.

'And so you saw her come out again. Oh, you deep, good-for-nothing
Michael!'

'I saw her come out again, and she had the sunshade. She walks well,
Audrey, and she has a pretty, graceful figure--and as for her face----'

'Well!' impatiently.

'I think I will keep that to myself,' he replied with a wicked smile.
'Do you fancy we could coax Cousin Emmeline to call soon? I begin to
feel anxious to enlarge my stock of acquaintance, and you must allow
that a bewitching widow is rather alluring----' He paused.

'Michael,' giving his arm a little jerk, 'a