ed from gossip, so that she had no notion that she was doing a more aw

ollege, on the return from India; but a sense that she had promised to tell everything, and that, while she did so, she could defy any other in

out passing through the gate with the inscription-'No admittance except on business.' Indeed, the office had a private door, which, at Gillian's signal, was always opened to her. There, on the drawing-desk, lay a Greek exercise and a translation, with queries upon the difficulties for Gillian to correct, or answer in writing. Kalliope had managed to make that little room a pleasant place, bare as it was, by pinning a few of her designs on the walls, and always keeping a terracotta vase of

sent to schools where they had associated with young people of gentle breeding, which perhaps their partly foreign extraction, and southern birth and childhood, made it easier for them to assimilate. Their beauty and brightness had led to a good deal of kindly notice from the officers and ladies of the regiment, and they had thus acquired the habits and ways of the class t

s of the place. Still more, as time went on, did they miss the companionship and intercourse to which they had been used. Mr. Flight, the only person in a higher rank who took notice of them, and perceived that there was more in them than was usual, was after all only a patron-not a friend, and perhaps was not essentially enough of a gentleman to be free from all airs of condescension even with Alexis, wh

him in his studious tastes, and there was much in his appearance and manners to cause the accusation of being '

there was capable of being a companion to her. Thus the sister and brother had almost wholly depended upon one another; and it was like a breath from what now seemed the golden age of their lives when Gillian Merrifield walked into the office, treating Kalliope with all the freedom of an equal and the affection of an old frie

d of the school, and had hopes of the drawing prize, and how little Petros devoured tales of battles, and would hear of nothing but being a soldier. Now and then, too, there was a castle in the air of a home for little Maura at Alexis's futu

t, with a blushing apology, that she feared G

you? what ha

dow, and Gillian, with excited curiosity, imitated her, and beheld, lingering about, a yo

does he often hang about

Stebbing has come out, and they are

way,' exclaimed Gillian, much excited. 'Is that the

ere,' returned Kalliope; 'but we had better make

ensible of the danger of being so late as to cause questions, and she allowed herself to be hurrie

ten happen?'

eet me. Oh, did I tell you that the master wants Theodore t

t he be a

lent worth cultivating, dear boy, or if he would be safer a

all it ho

ut it next to a clergyma

soldi

nds,' said

an? But that is his sovereign's look-ou

ife, that makes all those grandest,' said Kalliope, 'and I th

and her youth in this dull round of toil, not able to exercise the instincts of her art to the utmost, and with no change from the monotono

her with a certain enthusiasm, and make her feel a day blank and

uneasy all the time, and hurried to put on her hat, and stand demonstratively waiting, telling Gillian that they must go, the moment the lesson

said Gillian, when they were on their way up th

answered Kalliope, with the authority of an o

't do everything in writing. I might as well give

third visit of Gillian's he dropped in with some important inquiry necessary to his progress, which

s into gossip, and they were always after hours when the hands had gone

ne October evening on entering Beechcroft Cottage; b

uick,' cried Valetta, dancing round her in

supposed to undertake. Indeed, as mamma would not leave him, Phyllis was actually going to Calcutta, chaperoned by one of the matrons o

ery helpless being. He used to talk about the good promise of one of his sons-the second, I think. We will see whether anything can be done for the children when we come home. I say we, for

coming home?'

pe it will be for g

r Silverfold all the days

l get back

ne down to the stables,' we

g else for some time; but at last Gillian recurred

ed, 'Well, though the Rev. Augustine Flight is not on a pinnacle of human wisdom, his choir

ow the extent of her intercourse with the brother and sister, so entirely without the knowledge of her aunts. Even Miss Mohun, acute as she was, had

th Miss Adeline, 'that we might gratify that

o your winter party of y

d I don't want to hurt their feelings or Gil

the Queen of

nd if I see no cause to the contrary,

might as well a

be better able to judge

harm in her, and she is effusive in her gratitude to all the Merrifield family. It is plain that the absent eldest son is the favourite, far more so than the two usef

ught he was a

e my doubts whether they are right. He is always ready to do his part in subs

preci

daughter. From all I can pick up, I think she must be a very worthy person, so I have asked her and

t will please Gillian, and I shall be intereste

bernica Militaris,'

r found out what made

doing that!' la

his was Dick White, what used to work for his uncle, but liked a bit of a lark, and at last hit one of the coastguard men in a fight, and ran away, and folks said he had gone for a soldier. Skilly had heard he was dead, and his wife had come to live in these parts, but there was no knowing what was true and what wasn't. Folks would talk! Dick was a likely chap, with more lif

Dick's sake. So Jem wa

love. That was a pit

building for her, and then his taking her to Italy, and never enduring to come back here again

do you think that wa

great, stout, monied man, quite inca

ouse instead of keeping it up in empty state! Th

ed man, except Jasper, in that group of

g officers always look so exactly alike-a

an

omething remarkable about him, to judge by the impression he seems to ha

do like qu

un, 'and it is not wholesome for Gillian to think us backward in

part than she could quite account for. Yet she believed that she knew how all the girl's days were spent; was cer

ion without telling her, and she was uneasy lest there should have been or yet should be a disclosure that should make her proceedings appear clandestine. 'And they ar

why should she do so herself, save to preserve the choice morceau for her own superior intelligence? Thus all the re

peared at seven o'clock at Beechcroft Cottage. While hats and waterproofs were being taken off upstairs, Gilli

field, do not y

ould they?

h Miss Mohun knew! I made sure that sh

would only

much happie

ps have it

ctioned it; but I could not bear that we should be the means of bringing you i

me to know my own relations?' s

d to you,' said Kalliope. 'It has made Alexis another cre

a bother, and a chatter? If my father and

was conscious of not understanding on what terms the niece and aunts might be, and the St. Kenelm's estimate of the Beechcroft ladies was naturally somewhat different from that of the St. Andrew's congregation. Miss Mohun was popularly regarded in those quarters as an intolerable busybody, and Miss Adeline as a hypochondriacal f

as rather short and troublesome, and ever since it was cut s

id Gillian. 'And it is

it so on purpose. However, all our hands know

Maura had a comparatively new gray dress, picked out with black. She was a pretty creature, the Irish beauty predominating over the Greek, in her great long-lashed brown eyes, which looked radiant with shy happiness. Miss Adeline

nd curiosities, at which she looked in great delight; and Fergus was so well satisfied with her comprehension of the principles of the letter balance, th

's keen eye noted, it was not the shyness of a conscious inferior in an unaccustomed worl

identified one by one, sometimes with little reminiscences, childishly full on Gillian's part, betraying on Kalliope's side friendly acquaintance, but all in as entirely ladylike terms as wou

Gillian. 'I don't want the li

th you it would

ining a bird that hovered and sung, the mechanical contrivance of which was the chief merit in Fergus's eyes, and which had fascinated generations of young people for the last sixty years. Aunt Jane, however, could he

ng a heavy gust of rain against the windows, to go into the lower regions in quest of

o the younger division of the company, when Valetta broke into an unnecessary inquiry why they did not have as many lights on the alt

d the indignant colour rose in the cheeks of the guests; but Fe

us,' she said, 'you had better not repeat imp

s wri

ity, 'you know Mr. Flight is a very kin

ing herself addressed, added, 'Nobody but he ever called

his kindness,' put in Kall

hought you said he had se

seems to be his chief interest, and there has not

but Gillian was conscious all the time that Kalliope was speaking with some constraint when she mentioned Alexis, and that she was glad rather to dwell on little Theodore, who had good hopes of the drawing prize, and

e help him further?

We are too many to throw ourselves on a person who is no nea

lder br

knew of some school I could be sure was safe and good and not too costly, Alex

, and she was eagerly interested in Miss Moh

or their benefit a spelling game. All sat round the table, made words, and abstracted one another's with

s come for us,

rougham is coming by and by; ask Mr. White to come in,' she added, as

to investigate, when she found a form in an ancient military cloak, trying to keep himself from dripping where wet could do mischief. She had to explain her regret at his having had such a walk in va

his father's campaigns, took off his gaiters, did his best for his boots, and, though not in evening costume, looked very

s having lost all his advantages in Aunt Jane's absence, besides signalising himself by capturing

personal favour, to hear the song whose renown at the concert had reached her; and thus the

th delight, and she jumped

I ever spent in the whole course of my life, except at Lady Merrifield's Christmas

we have enjoyed ourselves v

ted,' said Aunt Adeline. 'What fine creatures, all so

e home heroines who do the work of Atlas without knowing it. I do

far that she told herself that thus there could be no reasonable objecti

cy, it would be awkward to confess that she had told all. It would be like owning herself in the w