ed by their lady's unwonted mood--did a world of good at
once; it helped the assistants and appeased the directress. A chance
glance and smile from Caroline moved Shirley to an answering smile
directly. The former was carrying a heavy basket up the cellar stairs.

"This is a shame!" cried Shirley, running to her. "It will strain your
arm."

She took it from her, and herself bore it out into the yard. The cloud
of temper was dispelled when she came back; the flash in her eye was
melted; the shade on her forehead vanished. She resumed her usual
cheerful and cordial manner to those about her, tempering her revived
spirits with a little of the softness of shame at her previous unjust
anger.

She was still superintending the lading of the cart, when a gentleman
entered the yard and approached her ere she was aware of his presence.

"I hope I see Miss Keeldar well this morning?" he said, examining with
rather significant scrutiny her still flushed face.

She gave him a look, and then again bent to her employment without
reply. A pleasant enough smile played on her lips, but she hid it. The
gentleman repeated his salutation, stooping, that it might reach her ear
with more facility.

"Well enough, if she be good enough," was the answer; "and so is Mr.
Moore too, I dare say. To speak truth, I am not anxious about him; some
slight mischance would be only his just due. His conduct has been--we
will say _strange_ just now, till we have time to characterize it by a
more exact epithet. Meantime, may I ask what brings him here?"

"Mr. Helstone and I have just received your message that everything at
Fieldhead was at our service. We judged, by the unlimited wording of the
gracious intimation, that you would be giving yourself too much trouble.
I perceive our conjecture was correct. We are not a regiment,
remember--only about half a dozen soldiers and as many civilians. Allow
me to retrench something from these too abundant supplies."

Miss Keeldar blushed, while she laughed at her own over-eager generosity
and most disproportionate calculations. Moore laughed too, very quietly
though; and as quietly he ordered basket after basket to be taken from
the cart, and remanded vessel after vessel to the cellar.

"The rector must hear of this," he said; "he will make a good story of
it. What an excellent army contractor Miss Keeldar would have been!"
Again he laughed, adding, "It is precisely as I conjectured."

"You ought to be than