trations which he thought would
interest her.

"But I like to spend Sunday quietly and alone," said Rosamund, raising
innocent eyes to the professor's face. "Will it matter if I come to see
your illustrations and your books to-morrow?"

He gave her a paternal glance of almost affection.

"You shall certainly spend your Sunday as you like best, my dear," he
said. "For my part, I love to see spirited and happy girls like yourself
devoting themselves to periods of thought and meditation. In no other
possible way can they attain to true knowledge of what Sunday means."

Jane Denton looked at her friend in some astonishment, but Rosamund
calmly returned her gaze.

When the meal came to an end the girls scattered here and there, and
Jane ran up to Rosamund to know what she meant to do.

"To stay quietly by myself," was Rosamund's answer, "so for goodness'
sake don't interfere with me, Janey. I am going to my room, to begin
with. I want to have a good long think, and----But don't question me,
and keep the others away--won't you?--there's a dear."

Jane promised readily enough, and Rosamund went to her room. There from
her window she watched the whole party disappearing in different
directions: some to the neighboring woods, three girls together to the
bank of the river, others with books into hammocks or cosy seats in the
pretty garden. The two teachers had gone for a walk some miles into the
country. The professor was in his study, where Mrs. Merriman kept him
company.

"Now is my time," thought Rosamund.

She changed her dress for one of the prettiest she possessed--a
pale-blue muslin, beautifully made. She put on a large, black, shady
hat, and catching up her gloves and parasol, started on foot to Lady
Jane's place. She had not an idea where to go, but trusted to find the
way by making inquiries. Once she was safe out of the neighborhood of
those odious girls, as she was pleased to call them, she thought all
would be easy enough. She soon reached the high-road, which was far more
dusty than she had anticipated, and did not suit her pretty
patent-leather shoes.

Presently she met a girl on her way to Sunday-school in the village, and
asked her the direct road to Lady Jane Ashleigh's.

"Oh, my!" was the girl's response; "won't you find Miss Irene in a
tantrum this afternoon! Do you mean to say you are going there? And on
Sunday, too!"

"Yes," said Rosamund, forgiving the girl's apparent impertinence on
account