ing to live here. I intended to call yesterday, but was
prevented. I came to church to-day hoping to make your acquaintance.
When will you come and see me? Can you come this afternoon?"

"Oh, indeed I can!" said Rosamund. "I remember mother quite well telling
me about you. Your name used to be Lady Jane Stanisford, was it not?"

"Quite right, my dear. Oh, what a look you have of your mother! You must
come and spend the rest of the day with me. You can come now; you can
come in my carriage."

"Oh! I ought not to, for the others will be waiting for me."

"I will wait with you here. But no; I must hurry home at once. Then come
this afternoon, and bring any one of your school friends that you like.
I shall be glad to see you and to talk over old times. Dear Mrs.
Merriman, she is a great friend of mine. Give her my love, and a message
that you are to come and have tea with me, and supper, too. I will send
you back to Sunnyside in my carriage late this evening. Good-bye for the
present, dear."

It was a very beaming face that greeted Lucy and the rest of the party
when, accompanied by Mr. Singleton (the father of the fair-haired girls,
and the rector of the parish), they all appeared in the church porch.
Lucy went straight up to Rosamund.

"What in the world are you smiling at?" she said. "You look as though
you were thinking of something extremely funny; and it makes your face
look so strange, not at all like the face of a person who has just been
in church."

"Will you introduce me, Miss Lucy, to this young lady?" said Mr.
Singleton's pleasant voice.

Lucy was obliged to comply. She muttered the introduction in a somewhat
surly tone; but Mr. Singleton was by no means proof against Rosamund's
bright and clever face, her smile, which was now quite charming, and her
animated manner.

"You must come and spend a day with my little girls--that is, when you
can obtain leave," he said.--"Ah, Mrs. Merriman! it will be very unlike
you to be over strict with your young people. They must all come to the
Rectory. When is your next half-holiday?"

"You must ask Miss Archer," said Mrs. Merriman.

Miss Archer replied that Wednesdays and Saturdays would be
half-holidays, and Mr. Singleton clinched the invitation by asking the
party to the Rectory for the following Wednesday.

On their way home Rosamund left Lucy's side, with whom she had been
walking, and ran up to Mrs. Merriman.

"Lady Jane Ashleigh is a friend of mother's,