l. Who has a better claim to be one of my
guests?"

Cecilia stopped her father as he was about to leave the room. "I suppose
we mustn't ask Mr. Mirabel what he knows of Miss Jethro?" she said.

"My dear, what can you be thinking of? What right have we to question
Mr. Mirabel about Miss Jethro?"

"It's so very unsatisfactory, papa. There must be some reason why Emily
and Mr. Mirabel ought not to meet--or why should Miss Jethro have been
so very earnest about it?"

"Miss Jethro doesn't intend us to know why, Cecilia. It will perhaps
come out in time. Wait for time."

Left together, the girls discussed the course which Alban would probably
take, on receiving Mr. Wyvil's invitation.

"He will only be too glad," Cecilia asserted, "to have the opportunity
of seeing you again."

"I doubt whether he will care about seeing me again, among strangers,"
Emily replied. "And you forget that there are obstacles in his way. How
is he to leave his class?"

"Quite easily! His class doesn't meet on the Saturday half-holiday. He
can be here, if he starts early, in time for luncheon; and he can stay
till Monday or Tuesday."

"Who is to take his place at the school?"

"Miss Ladd, to be sure--if _you_ make a point of it. Write to her, as
well as to Mr. Morris."

The letters being written--and the order having been given to prepare
a room for the expected guest--Emily and Cecilia returned to the
drawing-room. They found the elders of the party variously engaged--the
men with newspapers, and the ladies with work. Entering the conservatory
next, they discovered Cecilia's sister languishing among the flowers in
an easy chair. Constitutional laziness, in some young ladies, assumes an
invalid character, and presents the interesting spectacle of perpetual
convalescence. The doctor declared that the baths at St. Moritz had
cured Miss Julia. Miss Julia declined to agree with the doctor.

"Come into the garden with Emily and me," Cecilia said.

"Emily and you don't know what it is to be ill," Julia answered.

The two girls left her, and joined the young people who were amusing
themselves in the garden. Francine had taken possession of Mirabel, and
had condemned him to hard labor in swinging her. He made an attempt
to get away when Emily and Cecilia approached, and was peremptorily
recalled to his duty. "Higher!" cried Miss de Sor, in her hardest
tones of authority. "I want to swing higher than anybody else!" Mirabel
submitted with gen