he managers, assisted by the funds advanced by Lord Rotherwood and that great invisible potentate, the

school, as the dressing-room of those who dined there was separate from that of the others, and they did not come in and out at the same time. Valetta had thus only really made friends with two

. She went and came alone, except when Miss Mohun happened to join her, and that was not often, 'For,' said that lady to her sister, 'Gillian alw

good girl,' sai

all the more trying to be trea

She is always as pleasa

make it worse, and prevent yo

a little on one side. 'And, besides, don't you know what Reggie used to call your ferret look? Well, I suppose you can'

s the penalty of having been a regular Paul Pry in my childhood, in spite of poor Eleanor making me le

a pretty

t," said li

ow or find out everything about

a bloodho

not that

tried hard to cure the slander and gossip that goes with curiosity. I am sorry it results in repulsion with t

deline, 'that I am sure you will have her confi

as heavy, for she had looked forward to having

antime wen

d that a party of boys were besetting a little girl who was trying to turn down the cross road to Bellevue, barring her way, and executing a derisive war-dance around her, and when she, almost crying, made an attempt to dash by, pulling at her plaited tail, with derisive shouts, even Gillian's call, 'Boys, boys, how can you be so disgraceful!' did not check them

t you could behave in su

away headlong, except Stebbing

iss Merrifield, I had

d to know how to behave properly to any woman or girl. My father wou

aving certainly given Master Stebbing a good lesson

as more shocked in my l

, but he was really a bad cousin of old Mr. White's that ran away; and her mother is not a lady-a great fat disgusting woman, half a nigger; and Mr. Wh

! it must be Captain White. He was in the dear old Royal Wardours, and papa thought s

bing said,' gruff

self be led by t

ng! He is the crac

I really think the apology to me was the worst part or the matter. He

aptain White,' said Fe

n Mrs. White, and that may help them to

aid Fergus, with a

I think you are sorry you treated

indeed, if

Maura belongs to. I should go and see them at onc

letta's schoolmate, Maura White, was none other than the daughter of her father's old fellow-soldier, whose d

ible that any one should live i

n by Cliffside. No; there's a father there, th

me Whites on the Librar

some; but they go to the Kennel Church. Didn't you come home, Ada, from that fu

n, foreign face, and he looked quite i

t he had a mother and sister living at Bellevue. I did see the sister when I went to get the

. Kenelm influence ever w

g?' asked Gillian. 'D

re they make Florentine mosaic, and I believe they said she was Miss White, bu

wish me to call on Mr

,' said Aunt Jane. 'I will go

very little opportunity of cultivating the acquaintance of town girls, who did not stay to dinner, as she had to go home immediately after school, under Emma Norton's escort, and perh

make up a lawn-tennis set, since some one had failed. Gillian vainly protested that she did not care about lawn tennis, and could not play unless Jasper was her partner; and Aunt Jane so far sided with her as to say it was very inconvenient, and on such short notice they ought not to be expected. But Aunt Ada clearly wanted to go; and so they went. It was a beautiful place, but Gillian could not enjoy herself, p

le, nor was she on Monday; and when it appeared that she had to go to a meeting at the Cathedral town on Tuesday, Gillian grew desperate, and at her tete-a-tete meal with

he was of her sister, she could not help being

ld; I do not see why I should not walk down with you and

re is no knowing when Aunt Jane may be able to go. I don't lik

and put a stop to everything, and she looked ready to cut the throat of a poor lady in a mushroom hat,

unz and all, Miss Adeline quite

nd mother were ve

him, and was very sorry he

as a beaut

quite afraid of what

'I believe her mother was a Gorfiote, but her father wa

s beautiful. That youth had a very striking profile; it qui

lected the Queen of the White Ants, and rather oddly divided between truthfulness, fea

the loveliest thing in the world, became a great stout woman, but was quite a mother to all the young Englishmen about. I r

perceived whence arose Aunt Ada's peculiar turn of the head and droop of the eyelashes

ck, being sure that Valetta must have made some mistake. Gillian repeated that she had always said the Whites were very poor, but she began to feel that her impatience had misled her, and that she would have been better off with the aunt who was used to such places, and whose trim browns and crimsons were always appropriate everywhere, rather than

brought within the enclosure, and Gillian knocked as sharply and fast

y untidy-looking small maid, and the parlour into which they were turned had most manifestly been lately use

ittle maid would have shut it, but for Miss Adeline's gasping and peremptory entreaty to the contrary. She sat on the faded sofa, looking as if she just existed by the help of her

ographs of her father and mother which Captain White had so much valued as parting gifts. A few drawings reminded her of the School of Ar

up to the mark, and a desire to rank with the officers' wives, she had let everything go in widowhood, poverty, and neglect; and as she stood panting in her old shiny black alpaca, the only thing Gillian recalled about her like old times was the black lace veil thrown mantilla fashion over her head; but now it was over a widow's cap, and a great deal rustier than of old. Of the

he necessity of throwing herself into the breach. 'Don't you remember

id tell me that Miss Valetta was in her class at the High School; but I thought there was no one now who woul

xplained all, and met with abundant sympathy, the dark eyes filled with tears, and the voice broke into sobs,

e of the happy days that were gone! Gillian saw that poor Aunt Ada was in an agony to get awa

e. Richard, my eldest, is in a lawyer's office at Leeds. Kally is employed in the art department, just as a compliment to her relation, Mr. White. Quite gente

sy, was very anxious to be gone, and rose to take leave at the first moment possible, though after she was on her feet Mrs. White detained her for some time with apologies about not returning her visit

for seeing Kalliope, when she found herself out in the street, and her aunt panting

d mamma was

on for letting you drag me here. I was al

hat mamma was fond of her, only that papa thought very

whether you wished it or not! Such a

no,

really was afraid she

ave made out about A

e what they are like, and the less you see of them the better. I declare I am m

haps we may meet Kalliope, if the marble people come out at

ould like to go there, and it w

o see it very mu

reover, trusted to avoid meeting Kalliope. 'Just round the corner here is Mrs. Webb's, who used to live with

, neat-looking woman, who begged Miss Adelin

ed not an inch devoid of colour or carving. There was a choir of boys in short surplices and blue cassocks, and a very musical service, in the course of which it

lian enjoyed all very much, and thought the St. Andrew's people very hard and unjust; but all this went out of her head in the porch, for while Lady Flight was

olding out her han

I so wanted

response. 'Maura told me you were h

e you? Where

lian, I owe it all to Miss Merrifield's encouraging me to go to the Scho

g. That's why we are here; and Alethea and Phyllis

another engagement. She saw a young woman in a shabby black dress, with a bag in her hand, and a d

ow came up from the vestry; 'do

, somewhere in Bell

en at St. Kenelm's, but I do not know any more of her. The mother

ny interference with parochial visiting

she eagerly said, 'This is Kalliope,

hey pursued their way to Mrs. Webb's; 'but-they must have sunk so low that

lliope was always

dear, I see exactly the sort of people they are. Your aunt Jane might be useful to

re impenetrable than Aunt Jane, and, what was worse, Aunt Jane always stood

ard the history of their day, and Gil

fall back again. All this is unlucky, for they do not seem to be people it is possible to get at, and now you

ed by the united f

one with her sister; 'and such a porpoise of a woman!

nt Jane. 'I wish she had waited for me. I have s

shall get over the stifling of that den; but it

I can excuse her, though I wish she had not been so impatient. I fancy t

nothing to do with

proached her differently. However, I will ask Lily about their antec