might have actuated him,
in the case of one of the other girls. At the same time, her quickness
of apprehension warned her not to risk encouraging this persistent
lover, by betraying any embarrassment on her side. He was evidently
anxious to be present (in her interests) at the interview with Mrs.
Rook. Why not? Could he reproach her with raising false hope, if she
accepted his services, under circumstances of doubt and difficulty which
he had himself been the first to point out? He could do nothing of the
sort. Without waiting until he had recovered himself, she answered him
(to all appearances) as composedly as if he had spoken to her in the
plainest terms.

"After all that you have told me," she said, "I shall indeed feel
obliged if you will be present when I see Mrs. Rook."

The eager brightening of his eyes, the flush of happiness that made him
look young on a sudden, were signs not to be mistaken. The sooner they
were in the presence of a third person (Emily privately concluded) the
better it might be for both of them. She led the way rapidly to the
house.

CHAPTER IX. MRS. ROOK AND THE LOCKET.

As mistress of a prosperous school, bearing a widely-extended
reputation, Miss Ladd prided herself on the liberality of her household
arrangements. At breakfast and dinner, not only the solid comforts but
the elegant luxuries of the table, were set before the young ladies
"Other schools may, and no doubt do, offer to pupils the affectionate
care to which they have been accustomed under the parents' roof," Miss
Ladd used to say. "At my school, that care extends to their meals, and
provides them with a _cuisine_ which, I flatter myself, equals the most
successful efforts of the cooks at home." Fathers, mothers, and friends,
when they paid visits to this excellent lady, brought away with them
the most gratifying recollections of her hospitality. The men, in
particular, seldom failed to recognize in their hostess the rarest
virtue that a single lady can possess--the virtue of putting wine on the
table which may be gratefully remembered by her guests the next morning.

An agreeable surprise awaited Mrs. Rook when she entered the house of
bountiful Miss Ladd.

Luncheon was ready for Sir Jervis Redwood's confidential emissary in the
waiting-room. Detained at the final rehearsals of music and recitation,
Miss Ladd was worthily represented by cold chicken and ham, a fruit
tart, and a pint decanter of generous sherry. "