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diff --git a/old/62317-0.txt b/old/62317-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8786998..0000000 --- a/old/62317-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4169 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Undesirable Governess, by F. Marion Crawford - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Undesirable Governess - -Author: F. Marion Crawford - -Release Date: June 3, 2020 [EBook #62317] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNDESIRABLE GOVERNESS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE UNDESIRABLE GOVERNESS - - [Illustration] - - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - - NEW YORK · BOSTON · CHICAGO - ATLANTA · SAN FRANCISCO - - MACMILLAN & CO., LIMITED - - LONDON · BOMBAY · CALCUTTA - MELBOURNE - - THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. - - TORONTO - - - - - THE UNDESIRABLE - GOVERNESS - - BY - - F. MARION CRAWFORD - - AUTHOR OF “SARACINESCA,” “THE DIVA’S - RUBY,” “THE WHITE SISTER,” ETC. - - ILLUSTRATED - - New York - - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - - 1910 - - _All rights reserved_ - - - COPYRIGHT, 1909, 1910, - - BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. - - Set up and electrotyped. Published April, 1910. - - - Norwood Press - J. S. Cushing Co.--Berwick & Smith Co. - Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - Used by permission of the _Pall Mall Magazine_ - - - FACING PAGE - -“They rode races bareback in the paddock” 3 - -“The last governess, a lovely creature with violet eyes” 11 - -“In dead silence they stood quietly” 16 - -“‘Ellen!’ he cried, ‘in Heaven’s name, what has happened?’” 43 - -“Such ringing laughter as the silent moor had never heard before” 64 - -“‘The truth is,’ answered Lady Jane, ‘it’s about your hair’” 81 - -“‘I don’t think Miss Scott at all dreadful,’ answered Lionel” 88 - -“‘You mark my words, miss. The Lord knoweth His own’” 109 - -“‘Where are the girls?’ she inquired, in a frigid tone” 119 - -“The huge black shadow of the balloon ran swiftly over it” 151 - -“‘We are awfully sorry to intrude on your privacy in this way,’ -he said” 163 - -“A scene of indescribable panic followed” 184 - -“‘Miss Scott! Why, I saw her at King’s Follitt a month ago!’” 198 - -“‘You? The daughter of Sir Randolph? You’re mad!’” 221 - - - - -THE UNDESIRABLE GOVERNESS - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -“By-the-bye,” began Colonel Follitt, looking at his wife across the -tea-things, “have you done anything about getting a governess?” - -“No,” answered Lady Jane, and a short pause followed, for the subject -was a sore one. “I have not done anything about getting a governess,” -she added presently, in the tone suitable to armed neutrality. - -“Oh!” ejaculated the Colonel. - -Aware that it would be hardly possible to find fault with the -monosyllable, he slowly stirred his tea. He took it sweet, with cream, -for in spite of a fairly successful military career and a well-developed -taste for sport, he was a mild man. He was also a ladies’ man, and -preferred feminine society, even in his own home, to that of -fellow-sportsmen and former brother officers. Lady Jane had, indeed, no -other fault to find with him; but this one sometimes constituted a -serious grievance. - -“You talk,” said Lady Jane presently, “as if the matter was urgent.” - -“I said ‘oh,’” answered her husband mildly. - -“Precisely,” retorted the lady; “but I know very well what you meant.” - -“If I meant anything, I meant that those two girls are all over the -place and need some one to look after them.” - -“I really think I’m able to take care - -[Illustration: “They rode races bareback in the paddock.”] - -of them myself for a few days,” answered Lady Jane stiffly. - -“No doubt, no doubt. But, all the same, I caught them potting rooks in -the park this morning with my best gun; and Barker tells me that -yesterday, when the men were at dinner, they managed to get Schoolboy -and Charley’s Aunt out of the stables on the sly and rode races bareback -in the paddock, till he came back. I don’t know why they did not break -their necks.” - -Lady Jane did not seem much moved by this intelligence, for the Follitts -were a sporting family, and she had been used to their ways for a -quarter of a century. - -“I will speak to them,” she said, as if that would insure their necks. - -At this point their eldest son came in quietly and sat down half-way -between his father and mother. Colonel Follitt was a well-set-up, -tough-looking man, who looked younger than his age and dressed just a -little younger than he looked. There were a few lines in his face, his -well-trimmed moustache was only just beginning to turn grey, and he had -the eyes of a boy. His wife was neither fair nor dark, and quite as -well-preserved as he, besides having the advantage of being ten years -younger. But the eldest son of this good-looking couple seemed -prematurely old. He was tall, thin, and dark, and had the general air -and cut of a student. He could ride, because all the Follitts rode, and -he shot as well as the average man who is asked to fill a place for a -couple of days with an average shooting-party; but he much preferred -Sanskrit to horses, and the Upanishads to a day on the moors. From sheer -love of study he had passed for the Indian Civil Service after taking -his degree; but instead of taking an appointment he had plunged into the -dark sea of Sanskrit literature, and was apparently as much at home in -that element as a young salmon in his native stream. His father mildly -said that the only thing that might have made him seem human would have -been a little of the family susceptibility to feminine charm. But though -he was heir to a good estate, he had not yet shown the least inclination -to marry, and pretty governesses came and went unnoticed by him. Like -most students, he was very fond of his home, but he made frequent -journeys to London at all times of the year for the purpose of making -researches in the British Museum. Even the most careful mother could -feel little or no anxiety about such a son, and Lady Jane, for reasons -of her own, sometimes wished that his brothers would take up their -quarters in the neighbourhood of the British Museum for six months at a -time. - -She gave him his tea now, just as he liked it, and a long silence -followed. He sat quite still, looking into his cup with the air of -pleasant but melancholy satisfaction peculiar to students who have just -left their books. - -He looked up at last, towards his mother, with a far-away expression. - -“By-the-bye,” he asked, “when is the new governess coming?” - -A vague smile just moved Colonel Follitt’s neat moustache, but Lady -Jane’s fine brow darkened. - -“I am considering the question,” she answered, as a judge sometimes -replies to a barrister’s clever insinuation, saying that the Court will -“bear the point in mind.” - -Noting her manner, and well understanding what it meant, Lionel thought -it necessary to make some explanation. - -“I was thinking of those girls,” he said with profound gravity. - -“A little holiday will do them good,” said Lady Jane. - -“So far as that goes,” answered Lionel thoughtfully, “a woman’s -education is complete when she has forgotten her arithmetic and has -learned to play the piano well enough to drive people out of the house.” - -“My dear,” retorted Lady Jane, “your sisters are not learning to play -the piano.” - -“Thank goodness! That is spared us. But they are forgetting their -arithmetic.” - -“According to you,” replied his mother, “it is a step in the right -direction.” - -“It’s all very well, but that’s no reason why they should climb to the -top of the King’s Oak by the lodge and pepper every horse that passes -with buckshot from a catapult.” - -Again the Colonel’s moustache moved; but his son wore none, and not the -shadow of a smile disturbed the grave lines of his mouth. - -“I will speak to them,” said Lady Jane. - -“I wonder what you’ll say!” - -Before Lady Jane had time to explain what she would say, her second son -appeared. He was a startling contrast to his elder brother and less than -two years younger: he was a sort of red-haired Hermes; his colouring -completely spoiled his beauty, which would have been, perhaps, too -perfect for a man, if his complexion had not been freckled like a -trout’s back and if his hair had been of any colour but that of inflamed -carrots. As it was, he was just a very fine specimen of young humanity, -and it would never have occurred to any one to call him even handsome. -He was a credit to the family, though he had only got a pass degree at -Oxford, for he had been Captain of the boats at Eton, and had pulled -Four for the ‘Varsity in a winning year. It is true that he showed no -taste for any profession or career, and seemed to have made up his mind -to spend the rest of his life at home, because there was no finer -hunting country in Great Britain; but then, there would always be -bread-and-butter and horses for him, without seeking those necessities -elsewhere, and if Lionel did not marry, he, Jocelyn, would take a wife. -In the meantime he seemed quite unconscious of the admiration that was -plentifully accorded to him by that large class of young women who -prefer a manly man to a beauty-man. At all events he was absolutely -reticent about his own affairs, and neither his mother nor his brothers -could be sure that he had ever said a word to a woman which might not be -repeated by the town crier. But there was no mistaking the glances that -were bestowed upon him, nor the tone of voice in which some of the very -nicest girls spoke to him. They could not help it, poor things. Jocelyn -sat down on a low stool between his mother and Lionel, with his heels -together, his knees apart, his shoulders bent forward, and his eyes -fixed hungrily on the buttered toast. He looked like a big, cheerful -mastiff, expecting to be fed by a friendly hand. - -Lady Jane proceeded to satisfy his very apparent wants. - -“I say,” he began, as he watched the cream mingling with the tea, “what -is the new Miss Kirk’s name?” - -[Illustration: “The last governess, a lovely creature with violet -eyes.”] - -Miss Kirk had been the last governess--a lovely creature with violet -eyes and hair that curled at her temples. Lady Jane had found her -photograph in the pocket of a shooting-coat belonging to the Colonel -which had been brought to her maid to have a button sewn on, and the -circumstance had led to the young lady’s abrupt departure. More or less -similar circumstances, in some of which her two younger sons had been -concerned, had produced similar results in a number of cases. That is -why the question of the new governess was a sore point at King’s -Follitt. - -“No one has yet answered my advertisement,” answered Lady Jane, “and -none of our friends seem to know of just the right person.” - -“How very odd!” observed the Colonel. “We generally get so many more -answers than we want.” - -“What those girls need is a keeper,” said Jocelyn, with an audible -accompaniment of toast-crunching. - -“You might get one from the County Lunatic Asylum,” suggested Lionel -thoughtfully. “You could get one for about the same price as a good -governess, I should think.” - -“I don’t mean that,” answered Jocelyn. “I mean a gamekeeper. They’ve -gone in for poaching, and it’s time it was stopped.” - -“Eh? What?” Colonel Follitt did not understand. - -“They’ve been snaring hares all over the park. That’s one thing. Then, -they are catching all the trout in the stream with worms. If that isn’t -poaching, what is? Rather low-down form, too. Worms!” - -This roused the Colonel. “Really! Upon my word, it’s too bad!” - -“What becomes of the game and the fish?” inquired the Colonel. - -“They give them to the postman, and he brings them chocolates in -exchange,” answered Jocelyn. “They lie in wait for him behind the hedge -on the Malton road.” - -“Upon my word!” cried the Colonel again. “There’s no doubt about it, -Jane, you must get a governess at once. By-the-bye, where are they now?” - -“Poaching,” answered Jocelyn, crunching steadily. - -“They are welcome to the hares,” said the Colonel; “but catching trout -with worms is a little too much! In March, too!” - -While he was speaking his youngest son had entered--a lean young athlete -who bore a certain resemblance to both his elder brothers, for he had -Lionel’s quiet, dark face, together with something of Jocelyn’s build -and evident energy. “I think so too,” he said crossly, as he sat down -beside his brother at the corner of the tea-table. “It’s high time that -governess came.” - -“What’s the matter now?” asked Jocelyn. - -Every one looked at Claude, who seemed slightly ruffled, though he was -usually the most even-tempered of the family. - -“Oh, nothing! At least, I suppose not. They had the new motor out on the -moor this afternoon.” - -“My new motor!” cried Lady Jane, roused at last. - -Motoring was her contribution to the list of the family sports. - -“Yes,” answered Claude, very quietly now. “Ferguson and I were out -looking after the young birds. Rather promising this year, I should -say.” - -He vouchsafed no further information, and began to sip his tea, but Lady -Jane was trembling with anger. - -“Do you mean to say that they were actually out on the moor--off the -road? Where was Raddles? You can’t mean to say that he let those -two----” Lady Jane was unable to express her feelings. - -“Oh, yes. As soon as I got home I went to see about it, for I supposed -you wouldn’t be pleased. They had locked the poor devil up in the -storeroom of the garage, and he couldn’t get out. It’s really time -something was done.” - -“But didn’t you try to stop them?” asked Lady Jane. “Why didn’t you get -in and bring them home yourself?” - -“They bolted as soon as they saw us,” answered Claude, “and a pony -sixteen years old is no match for a new motor. When I last saw them -they were going round Thorley’s at about twenty-five miles an hour.” - -“How long ago was that?” asked Lady Jane, for to tell the truth her -anger was mingled with some anxiety. - -“About three o’clock,” answered Claude. - -Colonel Follitt rose. “We had better go and look for them at once,” he -said gravely. - -But at that moment the subjects of his uneasiness walked in together, -pink and white, smoothed and neat, and smiling innocently in a way that -would have done credit to a dachshund that had just eaten all the cake -on the table when nobody was looking. - -They were a pretty pair, about fourteen and fifteen, the one fair, the -other dark, with a fresh complexion. In the dead - -[Illustration: “In dead silence they stood quietly.”] - -silence they stood quietly beside the tea-table, apparently waiting for -their mother to fill their cups. - -“Do you mind telling us where you’ve been?” she inquired, in a tone that -boded no good. - -The two girls looked at each other and then looked at her. “We’ve been -on the moor,” they said together, with a sweet smile. - -“So I gathered from what Claude has just told us.” - -Lady Jane looked from Gwendolen to Evelyn, and then at Gwendolen again. -She had always found it hard to face the air of mild innocence they put -on after doing something particularly outrageous. - -“Oh, well, since Claude has told you all about it, of course you know. I -hope you don’t mind very much.” - -“Raddles says the motor’s all right, and that it’s a very good test, -because if it will stand that it will stand anything.” - -This reassuring statement was vouchsafed by Evelyn, who was the elder -sister and the fair one, and, if anything, the calmer of the two. Both -had the sweetest possible way of speaking, and seemed quite surprised -that their doings should not be thought quite normal. - -“It was awfully low-down of you to go and tell, all the same,” Gwendolen -observed, smiling at Claude. - -“I thought it rather natural,” he answered, “as it seemed quite probable -that you had broken your necks.” - -“You deserved to, I must say,” said Lady Jane tartly, “though I’m glad -you didn’t. I shall send you both to a boarding-school to-morrow.” - -But this appalling threat had been used too often to produce anything -more than an excess of meek submissiveness. The delinquents at once -assumed the air and bearing of young martyrs, took their cups quietly, -and sat down side by side on a little sofa. - -“I’ll tell you what, you two,” said the Colonel: “I won’t have any one -fishing with worms in my trout streams.” - -“Why? Is it any harm?” asked Evelyn, apparently surprised. - -“Harm!” cried Jocelyn. “It’s poaching, it’s spoiling the fishing -outright, and it’s against the law in the close season--that’s all.” - -“We didn’t know,” said Gwendolen. - -“And you’d better not ride Schoolboy without my leave,” put in Jocelyn. - -“Nor take Charley’s Aunt out of her box without asking me,” added -Claude. - -“Nor borrow my best gun to pot rooks with,” said the Colonel. - -“Nor dare to go near any of the motors, and especially not the new -Mercèdes,” enjoined Lady Jane very severely. - -But by-and-by, when she was dressing for dinner, and had reached the -stage of having her hair done, she looked through the evening paper, as -she usually did during that tedious process, and she found in the column -of advertisements the one she had last inserted, and she read it over. - - GOVERNESS WANTED, to take charge of two girls of 14 and 15 - respectively; family residing in Yorkshire and London. Must have - first-rate degree and references. Charm of manner, symmetry of - form, and brilliancy of conversation especially not desired, as - husband and three grown-up sons much at home.--Apply by letter to - J. F., P.O. Hanton, Yorks. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -Considering the nature of Lady Jane’s advertisement and the brutal -frankness of its wording, she had no right to be surprised because no -one answered it immediately. It is not every young or middle-aged -spinster of superior education and impeccable manners who will readily -admit that she is entirely lacking in charm, symmetry of form, and -talent for conversation. Lady Jane had reckoned on this, and was -tolerably certain that no governess would offer herself who did not -fulfil the conditions so literally as to have had trouble in finding -employment anywhere else. - -On the day following the small events I have just narrated, Lionel went -to town, as he often did, in order to consult a manuscript in the -British Museum. He said that he might be away three or four days, or -possibly a week. - -That very evening, to her great satisfaction, Lady Jane at last received -an application in answer to the tempting offer she had set forth in the -column of Wants. The letter was dated from an address in Kensington, and -was written in a singularly clear and unadorned hand which pleased Lady -Jane at first sight. The writer said that she was twenty-three years of -age, and had taken a first at a woman’s college, which she named. She -gave references to the wives of two distinguished men, who wrote -mysterious capital letters after their names and whom Lady Jane promptly -found in _Who’s Who_. With regard to the unusual qualifications required -by the advertisement, the applicant added, with a touch of sadness, -that she fulfilled them only too well. Though not positively deformed, -she limped slightly and had one shoulder higher than the other; it was -quite needless, she said, to add that she had no charm of manner, and -she could assert with confidence that, although she did not suffer from -shyness and had no impediment in her speech, it was a painful effort to -her to join in ordinary conversation. In conclusion, she said that in -spite of her physical disadvantages she had never been ill a day in her -life, and was able to walk long distances without fatigue. In fact, -walking was good for her lameness. If desired, she would come on trial -for a fortnight, or would make the journey merely to show herself, if -her expenses were paid. She signed herself “Ellen Scott,” and hoped for -an early answer. - -This certainly looked promising. Lady Jane was in a hurry, and in order -to gain time she telegraphed to the two ladies mentioned in the letter, -inquiring as to Miss Scott’s character, and the answers were perfectly -satisfactory. She then wrote to say that, on the whole, the candidate -had better come for a fortnight. She added that she expected Miss Scott -to dine in her own room. - -Lady Jane was alone in her morning room when the new governess arrived -and was ushered in. Lady Jane took a good look at her before asking her -to sit down. On the whole she thought that Miss Scott had not overstated -the case against her appearance. Her limp had been perceptible as she -crossed the room, her left shoulder was certainly higher than the other, -and figure she had none, in any æsthetic sense. Her feet were small; -but afterwards, when she sat down, Lady Jane saw that the sole of her -right shoe was much thicker than the other. Her complexion was not good. -It had probably once been clear and rather fair, without much natural -colour, but was now disfigured by a redness on one cheek which was -almost a blotch, and her small nose was distinctly red. She had nice -brown eyes, it is true, and a frank expression when she looked at Lady -Jane, but after a moment or two the latter was sure that one eye -wandered a little. As if conscious of her defect, or weakness, Miss -Scott looked down at once, and when she raised her lids again both eyes -were once more focussed in the same line. Her plain dark hat was put on -rather far back, and her brown hair was drawn straight up from her -forehead and was twisted into a little hard bun behind. All this Lady -Jane took in at a glance. - -“Won’t you sit down?” - -Miss Scott seated herself on the edge of a high chair, but said nothing. - -“You must be tired,” observed Lady Jane, not unkindly, though rather as -a matter of course. - -“No,” answered Miss Scott, in a submissive tone, “I am not at all -tired.” - -She spoke as if she were rather sorry that she was not, as it seemed to -be expected of her; and a pause followed, during which Lady Jane felt a -little awkwardness at finding herself face to face with the undesirable -governess she had sought, and who knew herself to be undesirable, and -was prepared to be apologetic. - -“I think I ought to tell you,” said Lady Jane at last, “that my girls -are a little wild--rather sporting--I daresay you understand the sort -of thing I mean. I hope you have a good deal of firmness of character.” - -Miss Scott said nothing to this, but nodded gravely as if to say that if -she possessed any firmness she would use it. She was evidently a silent -young person. - -“They are not nasty-tempered at all,” Lady Jane continued. “On the -contrary. But they are perfect little pickles. Just to give you an -idea--the other day they actually locked the chauffeur in and took out -my own new motor. I really hope you will be able to prevent that sort of -thing.” - -Again Miss Scott gravely nodded, and this time her right eye certainly -wandered a little. - -“I daresay you would rather go to your room and settle yourself a -little before seeing them,” suggested Lady Jane. - -“Please, I think I should like to see them at once.” - -Lady Jane rang, and told the man who came to send her the two girls. - -“Beg pardon, my lady, but the young ladies are gone out.” - -“Oh, indeed? Don’t you think you could find them?” - -“I’ll try, my lady,” answered the footman with perfect gravity, “but it -may take an hour or two, as your ladyship knows.” - -“Oh, yes. Well, then, you had better show Miss Scott to her room, and -send somebody to look for them. You see,” she added, turning to the new -governess, “they have got altogether out of the habit of regular hours. -I hope you’ll be quite comfortable.” - -“Thank you,” said Miss Scott, who had risen; and she followed the -footman meekly with her limping gait. - -Lady Jane Follitt had rarely experienced a more intimate satisfaction -than she felt when her husband and two younger sons straggled into -luncheon, and each in turn glanced quickly at the new governess, and -then sat down with an expression of visible disappointment. The Colonel, -who was a mild and kindly man, addressed one or two remarks to the -newcomer, which she answered as briefly as possible in her somewhat -monotonous voice, but Jocelyn and Claude ignored her existence. The -girls sat on either side of her, very neat and quiet and well-behaved, -but they eyed her from time to time with the distrust which a natural -enemy inspires at close quarters. They were taking her measure for the -coming contest, and in the mind of each girl there was already a -conviction that it would not be an easy one. They had seen all sorts: -the one whose gentle ways and pleasant conversation delighted the -Colonel; the one that used to blush and stammer whenever Jocelyn came -into the room; the one who was almost a match for Claude at lawn tennis, -and who could ride nearly as well as the Follitts themselves, because -she was the daughter of an old-fashioned sporting parson, who had spent -his substance on horse-flesh, and broken his neck in the hunting field; -they had seen Miss Kirk, with her violet eyes, who drew all men in the -house after her as easily as the Pied Piper of Hamelin led away the -little children; but they had never till now seen one who gave them the -impression that she meant business, and would probably get the better -of them. If she did, there would be an end of snaring hares and angling -for trout, of riding bareback, and of peppering the passing horses on -the Malton road with buckshot from catapults. The future was shrouded in -deep gloom, through which stalked hideous spectres of geography, -arithmetic, and the history of England. They would be told to sit up -straight and not to ink their fingers, and they would be taken to walk -instead of being let loose after their meals like a brace of terrier -pups, to roam the park and harass man and beast. - -There was one chance left. Miss Scott might be a musician. There had -been one governess of that sort, too, and the girls had enjoyed long -hours of sweetest liberty while she was hammering away at the piano in -the schoolroom. - -“Do you play?” asked Evelyn in a sweet low voice. - -“Oh, no,” answered Miss Scott. “I don’t know one note from another.” - -The last ray of hope was extinguished, the gloom deepened, and Evelyn -relapsed into mournful silence after exchanging a depressed glance with -Gwendolen. - -These fateful forebodings soon proved to be only too well grounded, and -before two days had passed Lady Jane was thoroughly convinced that she -had found the long-sought treasure; her own face grew more and more -serene, and she motored with a light heart, undisturbed by the -tormenting suspicion that a lovely creature with violet eyes might be at -that very time telling the story of her life to the Colonel, or -sympathising with Lionel’s difficulties in pursuit of learning, or -blushing under Jocelyn’s nose, or possibly being taught to ride in the -paddock by Claude. Not one of them all would go near Miss Scott if he -could help it, not one would so much as speak to her unless it were -absolutely necessary. - -And yet the undesirable governess seemed quite happy in her -surroundings, and even smiled sometimes, when she spoke to the girls. It -was a pleasant smile, and she had good teeth; and possibly, if any of -the men had thought of looking at her face, it would have occurred to -them that, if it had not been for her one blotchy cheek, and her red -nose, and her way of putting her hair straight back from her forehead -that made her look like a skinned rabbit, her face might not have been -ugly. But if such a thought had crossed Lady Jane’s mind, she would have -consoled herself by reflecting on poor Miss Scott’s lameness and her -slightly deformed shoulder. There was that wandering eye, too, which was -another source of comfort; and then there was the undeniable fact that -the girls were kept in the schoolroom in the morning, and that Miss -Scott was always with them when they went out. - -With the inhuman cruelty of youth, the two girls deliberately tried to -walk the lame governess off her feet; but to their amazement and -mortification she kept pace with them without difficulty, and was at -least as fresh as they were after a tramp of seven or eight miles over -the moor. They were still further astonished when they found that she -could beat them out and out at tennis, with no apparent effort. They had -always supposed that a lame person could not run; but Miss Scott ran -like a deer, and, indeed, she seemed less lame then than when she was -only walking. - -It was not often that her eye wandered when she was with them, but when -it did they felt sure that she was watching them both at the same time, -though they were on opposite sides of her; and the sensation was most -unpleasant. - -They asked her questions about herself, particularly when they were at -their lessons, because a little conversation was always a pleasant -change; and though she answered very briefly at such times, she did not -seem to mind talking of her life at home when they were out for a walk. -There was nothing mysterious about Miss Scott: her mother had died when -she was very young, and her father was a learned man and a student, who -spent his life among books; they lived in Kensington; he had taught her -till she had gone to the college, where she had worked hard because she -knew that she must earn her living, but had been very happy because she -had made friends; that was where she had learnt to play tennis so well, -and she told the girls all about the life there, with a great many -amusing little stories. In fact, except during lessons, or when, in the -wickedness of their hearts, they tried to get away from her for such -illicit purposes as worm-fishing, snaring hares, or popping at rooks -with their brothers’ guns, they found her a pleasant companion. - -“I shall be glad,” said Lady Jane at the end of the first week, and with -a really friendly smile, “if you will stay on. I see that you have a -very good influence on the girls.” - -“Thank you,” answered Miss Scott, and her eye wandered unmistakably. - -Lady Jane informed the Colonel of her decision, and he had rarely seen -her in a more delightful humour. Miss Scott, she said, was really the -ideal governess in every way. She knew her business, she was quiet, -modest, and unassuming. All previous governesses had possessed three -sets of manners: one for the drawing-room, and of a kind which Lady Jane -considered perfectly odious; the second manner was for the schoolroom, -and had usually been unsatisfactory; the third was the way they had with -the servants, which was of such a nature that the whole household -detested them. But Miss Scott was quite different in that respect. By -means known to herself, Lady Jane had ascertained that the household -approved of her; that the butler included her in what might be called -“the clause of favoured nations,” by bestowing his best attention on -her small wants at table; that any of the footmen would have cheerfully -blacked her shoes; that the housemaids brought her hot water as often as -if she had been one of the family, and that Lady Jane’s own maid -considered her a “perfect lady.” - -“I am glad that you are satisfied at last, my dear,” answered the -Colonel thoughtfully. “She’s not much to look at, but she can’t help -that, poor soul.” - -“Precisely,” answered Lady Jane, with evil glee; “she can’t help it.” - -In due time Lionel came back, having been absent nearly a fortnight. He -arrived not long before dinner, when Miss Scott was not about, having -disappeared to her own quarters for the evening, as usual. - -When he had almost finished dressing, Claude dropped in on his way -down. Lionel had always been more intimate with him than with Jocelyn. - -“The Lady has done it this time,” observed the younger brother, sitting -on the arm of an easy-chair before the fire. - -“Has the new governess come?” asked Lionel absently. - -“Yes, and I rather think she has come to stay for life. Avoid looking at -her if you meet her, my dear chap. The Gorgon wasn’t in it with her. She -would turn a Bengal tiger to stone.” - -Lionel looked at his brother with curiosity, for he had not often heard -him express himself so strongly. “What’s the matter with her?” - -“I forget all the things,” answered Claude; “but I know that she has a -big blotch on one cheek and a red nose, and she looks like a skinned -hare, and she’s got a hump on one shoulder, and she’s lame, and----” - -“Good gracious!” Lionel’s jaw had positively dropped at the description, -and he was staring at his brother in a most unusual way. - -“I forgot,” continued Claude: “one eye wanders----” - -“I say,” interrupted Lionel, in a tone of irritation, now that his first -astonishment had subsided, “it’s not good enough, you know. My credulity -was badly injured when I was young. What’s the new governess’s name?” - -“Miss Scott,” answered Claude; “and I really don’t think I’ve -exaggerated. The Governor is awfully depressed about it. The worst of -the thing is that she is turning out to be the long-sought treasure, and -the Lady is in the seventh heaven.” - -“It’s very odd,” observed Lionel thoughtfully. “Is there any one -stopping?” - -“The Trevelyans are coming to-morrow, and I believe there is to be a big -end party this Saturday.” - -“What Trevelyans?” asked Lionel. “Is it the mad lot, or their ballooning -cousins?” - -“The balloonists,” answered Claude. “They are quite as crazy as the -others, though.” - -“I think I prefer them to the mad ones, myself. The Lincolnshire ones -make me rather nervous. I always expect to hear that another of the -family has had to be locked up, and it might happen to be the one I had -just been talking to. I suppose Miss Scott doesn’t come to dinner, does -she?” - -“Rather not!” - -The two brothers went down together, and during dinner Lionel, who -still distrusted Claude’s description of the new governess, asked -questions about her of the others, and though no one said anything very -definite before the servants, the fact that she was lame and far from -good-looking was made quite clear to him, as also that his mother was -thoroughly satisfied with her services. Indeed, Lady Jane enlarged upon -the subject in a way that was almost tiresome. - -Lionel was not usually the most punctual member of the household, but on -the following morning he was the first in the breakfast-room, and was -standing before the fire reading a newspaper, when the door opened -quietly and Miss Scott entered alone, closing it after her. She came -forward towards Lionel with her beginning of a smile, as if they had met -before. He held out his hand - -[Illustration: - - “‘Ellen!’ he cried, ‘in Heaven’s name, what has happened?’” -] - -to her mechanically, but his eyes were staring at her with a startled -look, and he grew visibly paler every moment. - -“How do you do?” she asked quite naturally, as they shook hands. - -Lionel could hardly speak. “Ellen!” he cried, “in Heaven’s name what has -happened?” - -Before she could answer both heard the handle of the door moving, and -when the two girls entered the room the governess was standing by her -own place, waiting for them, and Lionel had turned his back and was -poking the fire to hide his emotion. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -As has already appeared, there were two families of Trevelyans among the -Follitts’ friends. The Lincolnshire branch was usually described as the -mad lot, because at least two members of the family had disappeared -suddenly from society, and as it had never been said that they were -dead, it was quite easy to say that they were insane. There were -numerous more or less idle tales about these two and concerning their -property, of which the sane members were supposed to be enjoying the -income. - -The ballooning branch, which Lionel thought rather the madder of the -two, was represented by old Major Trevelyan, who had invented an -airship that would not move, his married son, and his daughter Anne, who -were enthusiastic aëronauts, but had no belief at all in the old -gentleman’s invention; on the other hand, their confidence in their own -methods was boundless, and several rather serious accidents had left it -quite undiminished. - -Young Mrs. Trevelyan sided with her father-in-law, for in her heart she -was a dreadful coward in the air, though she feared nothing on land or -water; and she found that the best way to be left at home was to quarrel -with her husband and sister-in-law about ripping-lines, safety-valves, -detachable cars, and other gear. When an ascent was not far off, and her -husband, as usual, showed signs of wishing her to accompany him, the -wise little lady would get the old gentleman to coach her thoroughly in -his own views, which she then proceeded to air and defend till her -husband lost his temper and flatly refused to take her with him, which -was precisely the end she desired to gain. - -There had lately been one of those ascents which, in the ordinary course -of things, had been followed by a descent with some of those results -that are frequent in ballooning, if not inevitable. When the three -younger members of the family appeared, Anne Trevelyan’s handsome nose -was decorated with a fine strip of court plaster and her brother had a -sprained wrist, which obliged him to carry his arm in a sling. But they -all seemed very happy and united, for young Mrs. Trevelyan was the last -person in the world to say “I told you so.” - -Lady Jane approved of ballooning, in principle, because it was -distinctly “sporting,” but she thought it dangerous compared with -motoring. - -“It’s all very well,” retorted Anne Trevelyan, “but you could count on -your fingers the people you have ever heard of who have been killed by -balloons, whereas every one I know has either killed or been killed by -motors.” - -“I am quite sure I never killed a human being,” answered Lady Jane; “and -I’m quite alive myself.” - -“Yes, but how long will it last?” inquired Miss Anne cheerfully. - -“And as for danger,” answered Lady Jane, “whenever I see you, you have -just escaped with your life! It’s quite needless to ask why you have a -large piece of court plaster on your beautiful nose, my dear, isn’t it?” - -“Oh, quite!” - -As no new ascent was being talked of, Mrs. Trevelyan did not take Lady -Jane’s side, and the subject was soon dropped. Moreover, in the course -of the afternoon a thing so new and surprising happened that it drove -all other questions out of the field of interest in the Follitt family. -Lionel actually went for a walk with his sisters and the new governess. -He made no secret of it, and his start with the girls and Miss Scott was -witnessed by the assembled party soon after luncheon. They were all in a -large room which was neither a hall, nor a library, nor a drawing-room, -nor anything else directly definable. In the days when the children had -been much smaller, but not quite small enough to be kept out of the way, -it had been their general place of meeting, and the Colonel had -christened it the “mess-room,” because, as he explained, it was always -in such a mess. Each member of the family had a place in it which was -regarded as his or her own--a particular chair, a particular table or a -corner of a table, with a place for books and newspapers. Lady Jane -often wrote her letters there instead of in her morning room, and the -Colonel had a small desk before a window, which he preferred to the much -more luxurious arrangements in his study; the three young men often -lounged there on rainy days, and even the girls kept what they called -their work in an old-fashioned work-basket-table before a small sofa -which was their coign of vantage; for by keeping very quiet they -sometimes made their elders forget their presence, and they heard many -interesting things. - -Ordinary acquaintances were never asked into the mess-room, and were not -likely to find their way to it uninvited, as it was not in direct -communication with the other large rooms on the ground floor, and could -only be reached by a small dark passage which was entered from the hall -by a half-concealed door. But the Trevelyans had lately been promoted -out of acquaintanceship to the rank of friends--partly, perhaps, because -Lady Jane hoped that Lionel might take it into his head to fall in love -with Anne, who had always shown, or pretended to show, an unaccountable -preference for him. His mother could not imagine why in the world a -handsome and rather dashing sort of girl, who was almost too fond of -society, should be attracted by that one of the brothers whom almost -every one thought the least attractive; but since it was so, and since -Anne was a thoroughly nice young woman, and since it was evidently the -eldest son’s duty to marry, Lady Jane did all she could to bring the two -together; and she was not at all pleased when she heard her husband’s -exclamation of surprise on seeing that Lionel was actually going for a -walk with his sisters and the governess. - -“Upon my word, my dear, I never expected to see that.” - -Lady Jane was near him, and looked out; the others heard, and went to -different windows to see what was the matter. - -“In a long and misspent life,” said Claude, who was not twenty-two, “I -have never seen anything more extraordinary.” - -“I say, governor,” asked Jocelyn, “there’s no insanity in our family, is -there?” - -“I’m not sure,” answered the Colonel. “I believe I once paid your debts, -my boy. That’s always a bad sign.” - -Jocelyn did not smile. “Taken in connection with the fact that I never -made any more,” he answered, “it certainly looks as if we were -threatened with softening of the brain.” - -“And this settles it,” put in Claude, watching the fast disappearing -figures of Lionel and Miss Scott, who were already walking side by side -behind the two girls. - -“It’s a safe and harmless madness, at all events,” laughed Anne -Trevelyan, who was close behind Jocelyn and looking over his shoulder. - -But the surprise of the party in the mess-room was nothing to the -amazement of Evelyn and Gwendolen, who could not believe their eyes and -ears. Their taste for forbidden amusements and sports, and their -intimate alliance and mutual trust during a long career of domestic -crime, had given them an almost superhuman power of concealing their -emotions at the most exciting moments. When they saw that Lionel was -coming with them, they behaved as naturally as if it were an everyday -occurrence; but as soon as they were half a dozen paces in front of the -other two they exchanged glances of intelligence and suspicion, though -Evelyn only said in an unnecessarily loud tone that it was “a capital -day for a walk,” and Gwendolen answered that it was “ripping.” They -remembered that they had more than once derived great advantage from not -altogether dissimilar circumstances; for although none of their brothers -had exhibited such barefaced effrontery as to go to walk with them and -the governess of the moment, nevertheless it had often happened that -their former tormentors had disappeared from the schoolroom, or during -the afternoon, for as much as an hour at a time, during which the girls -left undone those things which they ought to have done and did a variety -of other things instead. - -On the present occasion they were surprised, but they never lost their -nerve, and by the time they were six paces in front they were both -already intent on devising means for increasing the distance to a -quarter of a mile. Having been allowed to lead the way, it was natural -that they should take the direction of the moor, where escape would be -easy and pursuit difficult; besides, once there, it was easy to pretend -that there was a cat in sight, and a cat on a grouse moor is anathema -maranatha, with a price on its head, and to chivvy it is a worthy action -in the eyes of all sportsmen. Cats were scarce, it was true, but Lionel -and Miss Scott would be talking together, and how could either of them -swear that there was no cat? As a preliminary measure, the two increased -their speed at the first hill, and Lionel, who was in extreme haste to -ask questions of his companion, refused to walk any faster than before. -In a few moments, Evelyn and Gwendolen, though well in sight, were out -of earshot. - -“Why didn’t you tell me that you had had an accident?” asked Lionel in a -low tone. - -“Because it would not have been true,” answered Miss Scott, limping -along beside him. - -“But you are lame,” objected Lionel. - -“Very!” - -“And you’ve got one shoulder higher than the other.” - -“It’s quite noticeable, isn’t it?” - -“And your figure and your complexion----” - -“Awful, aren’t they? I suppose I’m absolutely repulsive, am I not?” - -The girls were forging steadily ahead. - -“No, dear, you never could be that to me,” answered Lionel earnestly. -“I’m very anxious about you, that’s all.” - -“There’s really no cause for anxiety, I assure you.” - -“But if you have not had an accident you must at least have been very -ill?” - -“Oh, no,” answered Miss Scott in an indifferent tone; “only a little -influenza since I saw you two months ago. I don’t call that an illness, -you know.” - -“I’m not sure,” answered Lionel very gravely. “I’ve often heard that the -influenza may have very serious consequences. I call being lame quite -serious enough.” - -“I daresay it will get better,” said Miss Scott cheerfully. “I am quite -sure that this kind of lameness can be cured. I’m sorry to have given -you such an unpleasant impression.” - -“Painful would be a better word,” said Lionel. “I never had such a shock -in my life as when you came into the breakfast-room this morning.” - -“Yes, I saw. I suppose I had not realised how changed I am.” - -“If you would only do your hair as you used to,” Lionel said, “it would -be better. Why in the world have you taken to drawing it back in that -way?” - -“Did you see your mother’s advertisement?” asked Miss Scott. - -“No. What had that to do with the way you do your hair?” - -Instead of answering, Miss Scott produced a small newspaper cutting, -which she had carried inside her glove with the evident intention of -showing it to him. He took it, read it, and slipped it into his pocket -with a rather harsh little laugh. “That was ingenious,” he said; “but -the idea that you, of all people, could ever fulfil such outrageous -conditions!” - -“I’m perfectly satisfactory, you see. I fill the place very well, and -Lady Jane is kindness itself.” - -“I suppose that hideous frock is also meant to enhance the effect?” - -“It does, doesn’t it?” - -“Oh, yes, indeed it does! Most decidedly! But I should have thought that -what has happened to you would have been quite enough to satisfy my -mother, without making it so much worse.” - -By this time they were up on the moor, which began not more than half a -mile from the great house. As Lionel spoke the last words he looked -sadly at Miss Scott’s blotched face; but it hurt him to see it, and he -looked away at once, following his sisters’ movements with his eyes. At -that very moment he saw them both stoop suddenly to pick up stones from -the rough moorland road; having armed themselves, they dashed away like -greyhounds from the leash, straight across the moor, in a direction -which would soon take them out of sight in the hollow beyond. Miss Scott -was watching them too, and showed signs of wishing to give chase at -once, but Lionel stopped her. - -“They’ve probably seen a cat,” he said quietly. - -Miss Scott, who knew nothing about moors, did not understand. - -“Cats kill the young birds,” Lionel explained. “The best thing we can -do is to sit down and wait. It won’t hurt them to have a good run.” - -As Miss Scott sat down on a boulder by the roadside, he caught sight of -the thick sole of her right shoe for the first time. He had often seen -cripples wearing just such a shoe on one foot, and he started a little -and drew his breath sharply between his teeth as one does at a painful -sight. She understood, but was silent for a moment, though she instantly -drew back her foot under the edge of her tweed skirt. - -“I was afraid it would make a dreadful difference to you,” she said, -“and I suppose I should never have let you see me like this.” He made a -quick movement. “No, dear,” she continued quietly, “I quite understand; -but I couldn’t resist the temptation to be near you.” - -“Besides,” he answered, anxious to destroy the painful impression he -must have made on her, “you had written that you meant to come, if only -on trial. I thought it was a mad idea, but I found it just as impossible -to resist as you did, and I should have been awfully disappointed if you -had not come. Of course it would have been easier for me if I had -known--or if you had not done all you could to make it worse.” - -She looked at him so steadily while he was speaking that he turned and -met her eyes; they seemed to be laughing, though her face was grave. - -“I really couldn’t paint my cheek, could I?” she asked. - -“Oh, no! I did not mean that.” - -“But I have,” said Miss Scott with great gravity. - -“What do you mean?” asked Lionel in amazement. - -“I wash it off at night,” she answered. “It comes off quite easily.” - -“What?” Lionel almost sprang to his feet. “Do you mean to say----” - -“Yes,” answered Miss Scott, smiling. “I’ve made up for the part. It’s -well done, isn’t it? You know I belonged to the dramatic club at the -college, and they thought I was rather good at it. I always did the ugly -housemaids with colds in their heads and red noses.” - -“Your nose too!” - -“Yes, my nose too. The paint comes off my face; and this comes off.” She -stuck out the thick-soled shoe as she spoke. “And this comes off,” she -added, laying her hand on her shoulder and laughing. “And my figure is -just what it always was. Only my teeth and hair are real.” - -At first Lionel stared at her with some alarm, as if he thought she -might be going out of her mind. But she only smiled and looked at him -quite quietly; and, now that he knew the truth, he saw the familiar face -that was dear to him as if it were not disfigured, and the sudden -understanding wrought such a quick revulsion in his feeling and so -greatly delighted his natural sense of humour, that he began to laugh -silently, as he sat leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, for he -had the grave disposition of a thoughtful scholar. But instead of -subsiding, his mirth grew by quick degrees, his shoulders shook, and his -face twisted till he felt as if his whole being were turning into one -vast joke; then, quite suddenly, he stuck out his feet in front of him, -leaned back, threw up his head, and broke into a peal of such ringing -laughter as the silent moor had never heard before. And Ellen Scott, -who had been dying to laugh for ten days, could not help joining him -now, though in a much more musical and pretty fashion; so there the -lovers sat on the boulder, side by side, laughing like a pair of -lunatics. - -The air was bright and still, as it can be in the North of England when -the winter is just over and the earth is beginning to wake again, and to -dream of her returning loveliness, as a beautiful woman may who has long -lain ill in a darkened room. The clear laughter of the two echoed far -and wide, even down to the stream in the hollow, where the girls were -poking sticks under the big stones at one end of the pool to drive the -speckled trout out of their quiet lurking-places; and they were talking -in low tones and plotting to hide some fishing-tackle - -[Illustration: - - “Such ringing laughter as the silent moor had never heard before.” -] - -out of sight near by, on the mere chance that they might before long get -an hour’s fishing while Lionel would be talking to Miss Scott. But the -instant they heard the far-off sound of mirth overhead, they ran up the -slope again, and dropped to the ground just behind a long familiar bunch -of gorse, whence they could watch the road unobserved. The manœuvre was -executed with a skill that would have done credit to a head stalker. - -Lionel and Miss Scott were still laughing, but had reached the milder -stage of mirth which is like the after-taste of very dry champagne. They -were looking at each other, and it was quite evident to the experienced -eyes that watched them through the gorse that they were holding hands, -though the hands that were joined were not visible, but were held low -down between them, pressing the boulder on which they sat. - -The two girls saw, understood, and rejoiced. They had firmly believed -that never, under any conceivable circumstances, could any male being -even think of holding Miss Scott’s hand; but the impossibility was an -accomplished fact before their eyes, and as they could not have any -reason for supposing that the two had ever met before, they both -instantly concluded that it was a case of love at first sight. Then they -looked at each other and they also laughed long and heartily, though not -a sound disturbed the air. When the fit was over, they whispered -together. - -“I think it’s going to be all right,” said Evelyn, keeping her eye on -the couple. - -“I’m jolly glad,” whispered Gwendolen. “I thought we were in for it this -time.” - -“The last ten days have been awful,” said Evelyn, “haven’t they?” - -“She’s a perfect demon,” replied the other. “I wish I knew some nice bad -words for her, that it wouldn’t be wrong or low-down form to say!” - -“I’ve seen things in Shakespeare,” said Evelyn thoughtfully, “but I’m -not quite sure what they mean.” - -“You can think them anyway,” suggested Gwendolen--“that’s better than -nothing; and you’ll show them to me when we get home, and I can think -them too. There can’t be anything wrong about that, can there?” - -“I don’t think so,” answered Evelyn; “and we’ll never ask anybody, so we -can always think that the words are all right.” - -“Do you suppose he’ll kiss her?” asked Gwendolen. - -“Not to-day,” answered Evelyn, with the superior wisdom of an elder -sister. “They never do the first day; and besides, he’s sitting on the -side that has the blotch.” - -“Well, then,” said Gwendolen, who had a more practical mind, “if there’s -not going to be anything more to see, and as we can’t hear what they are -saying, let’s go back and tickle the trout!” - -Evelyn at once recognised that this was sound counsel, and with the -unanimity which characterised all their actions, the two crept backwards -till they were below the brow of the knoll, and then rose to their feet -and trotted down to the pool again in great gladness of heart. - -“How long do you think you can keep it up?” Lionel asked at last. “It’s -utterly amusing and delightful, but I think it is just a little -dangerous for you.” - -“At the first sight of danger I shall disappear into space,” answered -Miss Scott. “But I have a little plan of my own,” she added, “which I -mean to carry out if I can.” - -“What is it?” - -“It will succeed better if I keep you in the dark,” she answered. “In -the meantime give me some work to do for you in the evenings--copying or -looking up things. That will account for your talking to me sometimes, -don’t you see?” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -Lionel had first known Ellen Scott while she was still a student at the -college and was at home during the vacation. It happened in this way. -Old Herbert Scott was one of the many learned and industrious, but quite -obscure men whose ceaseless industry under the direction of half a dozen -distinguished personages makes the British Museum the greatest -institution of its kind. He was not a scholar in the ordinary sense of -the word, for he had no degree, and had never been at a University. The -son of an English officer in the native Indian army, who had been killed -at the siege of Kabul, he had obtained a post in the Customs of Bombay. -Though he possessed little or no knowledge of the Classics at that time, -he soon became known for his extraordinary proficiency in Mahratta and -the kindred dialects. He was, in fact, a natural philologian, and soon -advanced himself to the study of Sanskrit. His misfortune was that the -subject interested him far more than any material advantage which he -might have obtained by mastering it. There is plenty of lucrative -employment in India for men who know Sanskrit and have a dozen modern -dialects thoroughly well, and who can be trusted; but Herbert Scott -cared for nothing but study, and at the age of thirty-two he was as -inefficient in the performance of his professional duties as he was -learned in the Vedas and the lore of the Brahmans; in fact, he was in -danger of losing his means of livelihood, since the Customs were not -included in the “covenanted” Indian Civil Service. Happily for him, he -was discovered at this time by one of the lights of English learning, -who instantly recognised in him the talents and qualities of one who -would always be far more useful to others than to himself. He gladly -accepted the honourable though modestly paid situation which was offered -him in the British Museum--for the twenty-four-year rule had not been -invented then; he returned to England, installed himself economically in -the cheapest part of Kensington, and went to work. - -A good many years passed before Lionel Follitt made his acquaintance in -the Museum, and became indebted to him for invaluable assistance. The -extraordinary extent and variety of his learning attracted and -interested the young man, who at first had him to dinner at a Club, and -soon afterwards proposed to go and see him in Kensington on a Sunday. -Mr. Scott seemed pleased. Lionel kept the appointment he had made, and -was considerably surprised to find his learned friend in conversation -with a pretty and charming young girl. - -“My daughter Ellen,” Herbert Scott had said, introducing his visitor. - -Ellen had made them tea, had seen that they had everything they wanted, -and had then discreetly withdrawn, leaving them to the discussion of -Sanskrit literature. - -The rest needs little explanation. The girl was vastly more to Lionel’s -taste than any of those he met in his own set: she was modest without -being shy, she was clever without ostentation, she could appreciate -without flattering, and she could understand without being vain of her -wits. Moreover, though she was not more than pretty so far as features -went, she had a lovely complexion, nice brown eyes that sparkled when -she was amused, soft wavy hair of no particular colour, and a figure -which Lionel thought the most beautiful he had ever seen. - -After this first meeting his visits to the British Museum were more -frequent, and though his own industry did not relax and his learning -profited considerably by them, he often found time to go with Mr. -Herbert Scott to Kensington after hours, and even to stay to tea and -spend the evening with the father and daughter. - -The old Indian knew nothing of Lionel’s position in the world, beyond -the fact that he was a quiet young gentleman who lived in the country -with his parents, and he would have been a good deal surprised to learn -that his studious friend was heir to a noble old estate in Yorkshire. It -was soon apparent that the two young people liked each other very much, -but Lionel inspired confidence, and the young girl had plenty of common -sense; and if the young gentleman from the country took it into his head -to marry the daughter of the penniless old student, so much the better. -If anything happened to her father she would have to support herself, -and as he could not hope to provide for her he had given her the best -education that could be had in England. If she did not marry and was -left alone in the world, she was at least fit for any employment that -might offer. - -Herbert Scott had no great knowledge of human nature, but as months went -by, and visits followed visits, he became convinced that there was an -understanding between the two, and his hopes increased; yet it was not -until Ellen informed him of her intention to accept the position of -governess in Lionel’s family that her father ventured to ask her a -direct question. - -“Yes,” she said, “I have promised to marry him if his people do not -object to me. That will be the difficulty, especially with his mother, -who wishes him to marry well. He has not spoken of me at home yet. My -plan is to make his mother like me before she has any idea of the truth. -Do you think there is anything wrong in that?” - -“No,” answered Herbert Scott, to whose Anglo-Indian mind anything -appealed that had a touch of adventure in it. “But does he know -everything? Have you told him?” - -“Yes, I have told him.” - -But when Mr. Scott had gone with Ellen to the station, she had been -quite herself in appearance, and he would have been much surprised if he -had seen her when she walked into Lady Jane’s morning room. The disguise -was a part of her little plan which she had not confided to him, any -more than she had shown him the singularly uninviting advertisement she -had answered. She had timed her journey so as to spend the night in -York; she had arrived at the hotel in a long cloak and wearing a veil, -and had gone to her room at once, and no one had been surprised at the -appearance she presented when she came down for breakfast in the -morning. As a matter of fact, she had got the idea of making the change -in that way from the account of a celebrated robbery committed by a -woman, which she had read in a newspaper. - -On the evening after Lionel’s memorable walk with Miss Scott, Anne -Trevelyan asked him whether he had found the new governess a pleasant -companion, whereat the Colonel smiled pleasantly, and Lady Jane and the -others laughed; but Lionel was not in the least disturbed. - -“I was very much surprised when I saw her this morning,” he replied, -truthful to the letter, if not in the spirit--for his amazement had been -great. “I know her. She is the daughter of old Herbert Scott of the -British Museum, who has helped me a great deal with my work. So I went -to walk with her, and we renewed our acquaintance.” - -Every one seemed disappointed, for the chance of chaffing the least -chaffable member of the family had seemed unique. But now everything -was explained in the dullest possible manner. - -“Oh!” ejaculated Anne Trevelyan. - -“Fault!” cried the Colonel, who was fond of tennis. - -“Punctured!” observed Lady Jane, who motored. - -“Crab!” was Jocelyn’s observation, as he looked across the table at Miss -Trevelyan, for he was the oarsman of the family. - -“Hit to leg for six,” remarked Claude, who was the cricketer. - -After this no one thought it strange that Lionel should treat the -governess with great friendliness, and as the Follitts were all -kind-hearted people, no allusions were made to her undesirable -appearance. - -On the contrary, it occurred to Lady Jane before long that the poor girl -might really make some improvement in her looks without endangering her -ladyship’s peace of mind. Miss Scott was turning out to be so thoroughly -satisfactory, and “knew her place so well,” that Lady Jane’s heart was -softened. “I am sure you won’t mind my speaking of a rather delicate -matter,” she said one morning, when she chanced to be alone with Miss -Scott for a few moments. “I should certainly not mention it if I did not -hope that you will stay till the girls are grown up.” - -“I will stay as long as I can,” answered Miss Scott demurely. “You are -all very kind to me, and I am very happy here.” - -“That’s very nice, and I am sure you won’t be offended if a much older -woman gives you a little piece of advice.” - -“Oh, not at all! I should be most grateful.” - -[Illustration: “‘The truth is,’ answered Lady Jane, ‘it’s about your -hair.’”] - -“The truth is,” answered Lady Jane, “it’s about your hair. Are -you sure you don’t mind? Don’t you think that perhaps, if you -did not draw it back so very tight, it might look--er--a little -less--er--unprepossessing?” - -“It’s so easy to do it in this way,” answered Miss Scott, and she made -her right eye wander rather wildly, for that was one of the tricks she -had learnt in amateur theatricals. “But I shall be only too happy to try -something else, if you do not think it would seem ridiculous.” - -“I’m sure you needn’t be afraid of that,” said Lady Jane; “and besides, -no one else will notice it, you know. I mean,” she added, not wishing to -seem unkind, “I mean that no one will care, you know, except me, and I -should like you to look--er--a little more like other people.” - -“I quite understand,” answered Miss Scott; “I’ll do my best. But I ought -to tell you that when my hair isn’t pulled straight back, it’s wavy.” - -“All the better,” answered Lady Jane, with satisfaction. “That will be -very nice.” - -She had really felt that, in spite of Miss Scott’s admirable qualities, -she was almost too hideous to be seen in town with two very smart girls. -She might perhaps be taken for a maid. - -As I have said, Ellen had nice wavy hair, though it was of no particular -colour, and when she came down to breakfast the next morning, having -arranged it as she did at home, the change in her appearance was -surprising. She still had a red nose, a blotched cheek, and a bump on -her shoulder, and she limped; but she no longer looked like a skinned -rabbit. Evelyn and Gwendolen exchanged glances, and said in their evil -hearts that the change was a step in the right direction, since it must -be intended to please Lionel. Lady Jane smiled at her and nodded -approvingly, but her prediction proved to be well founded, for neither -the Colonel, nor Jocelyn, nor Claude, nor any one of the three -Trevelyans, even glanced at the governess. And she had managed to tell -Lionel of the advice his mother had given her, so that he showed no -surprise. - -On that day and the next, a large party of people came for the week-end, -and when the house was full the governess and the girls had all their -meals apart in the regions of the schoolroom, visited only by Lady Jane -and occasionally by Lionel. - -But he was obliged to be a good deal with the others, and incidentally -with Miss Trevelyan. He was the last man in the world to fancy that a -woman was falling in love with him merely because she always seemed glad -to talk with him, and he was inclined to resent the way in which his -mother did her best to bring him and Anne together at all times; but -when there was a large party he preferred the society of the few whom he -knew more or less intimately to the conversation of those whom he rarely -met more than three or four times in a year, and had sometimes never met -at all--for in London he avoided the crowd as much as he could. The -consequence was that, on the present occasion, Anne saw much more of him -than when the Trevelyans had been the only people stopping at the house. - -If he had been wise in the ways of the world he would have known that -when a woman has a fancy for a man she talks to him about herself, or -himself, and has little to say about any one else; and he would have -observed before now that Miss Trevelyan asked questions and led the -conversation from general subjects to people. She seemed more interested -in his brothers than in him, and particularly in Jocelyn--though she -actually treated the latter with more coldness, or less cordiality, than -the others. - -“He has no ambition,” she said to Lionel. “I wish he would go in for -ballooning!” - -Lionel smiled a little. They were strolling along a path on the -outskirts of the park, near the Malton road. - -“I hadn’t associated ballooning with ambition before,” he answered, “but -I daresay that if you suggested it as a career, he might take a fancy to -it.” - -“Not much!” answered Miss Anne, in a tone of conviction. “That would be -just the way to make him do the opposite.” - -“I doubt that. But do you mind telling me what the opposite of -ballooning would be? Diving, I suppose, wouldn’t it?” - -“Don’t be horrid! You know what I mean.” - -Lionel did not know, but she had never before shown so clearly what she -thought about Jocelyn’s opinion of her. Lionel was interested, and -thought he knew her well enough to ask a direct question. - -“You like Jocelyn, don’t you?” He looked at her quietly. - -“Do you mind?” inquired Anne, with a short laugh. - -“Not a bit. But, as a matter of fact, my mother has got it into her head -that it’s your duty to like me.” He laughed too. - -“You’re a very calm person.” - -“I didn’t mean to be cheeky,” answered Lionel. “But as we are very good -friends, and seem to be expected to fall in love with each other, though -we never shall, it’s just as well to be frank, isn’t it?” - -“Yes. I was only chaffing. You’re quite right.” - -“Very well. Then you won’t mind if I tell you just what I think. You -like Jocelyn, and you are quite sure he does not care for you. Is that -it?” - -Anne Trevelyan did not answer for a moment, and there was a little more -colour in her handsome face. “Yes,” she said, after a few seconds. -“That’s it. Rather humiliating, isn’t it? All the same, I would rather -that you should know.” - -“Thank you. But you don’t give him much encouragement to be nice to you, -do you?” - -“Well, hardly!” answered Anne, holding up her head. “I don’t think it -would be very nice if I did, considering that he evidently dislikes me.” - -“You’re quite mistaken,” said Lionel in a tone of certainty. “If you did -not pretend to ignore him half the time, as you do, you would soon find -it out.” - -“Nonsense! You might as well say that he likes that dreadful governess!” - -“I don’t think Miss Scott at all dreadful,” answered Lionel, in a tone -that made his companion look at him quickly. “Her looks are against her, -I admit, but I assure you she is a very nice girl.” - -“I was only thinking of her looks, of course. And I forgot that you knew -her father. What did you say he was?” - -She asked the question in a tone of real interest, which was intended as -a sort of - -[Illustration: - - “‘I don’t think Miss Scott at all dreadful,’ answered Lionel.” -] - -apology for having said anything against the governess. - -“He’s in the British Museum; but he is not really her father. He adopted -her and brought her up, that’s all. She was left on his doorstep, I -believe.” - -“Really! How interesting! Do tell me all about it.” - -“There’s not very much to tell,” said Lionel. “Herbert Scott has been in -the Museum five-and-twenty years, I believe, and has always lived in the -same little house in Kensington. He began life in India, and I fancy he -must be almost sixty. One morning, about twenty-two years ago, he was -lying awake at dawn, when he heard a child crying just under his window. -At first he paid no attention to the sound, but as it went on -persistently, he went down and opened the door. He found a little girl -baby, nicely dressed and quite clean, lying on the doorstep, kicking and -screaming. He thought the baby might be about a year old. That’s the -story.” - -“Except the rest of it,” observed Miss Trevelyan. “The interesting thing -would be to know what he did with it--a man living alone, and who had -probably never touched a baby in his life!” - -“He went to the police and made inquiries, and advertised, but as he -could not get any information, and the woman servant he had was a -respectable middle-aged widow who was fond of children, they kept it and -brought it up. That’s all I know.” - -“I have heard of such things before,” said Anne Trevelyan thoughtfully. -“The child must have been kidnapped by thieves who tried to get a ransom -and failed.” - -“Or gipsies,” suggested Lionel. - -“No, not gipsies. They hardly ever give up a child they have stolen, -unless they are in danger of being caught; and if that had been the case -in your story, the child’s parents would probably have claimed it, for -they would have been employing detectives, and the police would have -been informed. I should think the baby Mr. Scott found must have been an -orphan in charge of some relations who were glad to get rid of it.” - -“That certainly sounds likely,” answered Lionel. “I think it will be -better not to speak about it to my mother or the others. I’m not quite -sure why I’ve told you.” - -“You told me because I called Miss Scott dreadful. I am sorry I did. I -won’t do it again.” - -“That’s all right--you didn’t mean it. We were talking about Jocelyn, I -remember. I never understand how women do their thinking, and I suppose -that I am not curious enough to study them.” - -“What has that to do with anything?” asked Miss Trevelyan quickly. - -“I was only wondering why, since you like Jocelyn, you are always as -disagreeable as possible to him and as nice as possible to me.” - -Miss Trevelyan laughed and looked away from him. “Of course you don’t -understand!” she said. “Men never do.” - -“I’ll give you a piece of advice, Miss Anne. The next time you make an -ascent, make Jocelyn go with you, and see what happens.” - -“Nothing would induce him to go, I am sure.” - -“I think I could manage it, if you will only ask him.” - -“I’ll take odds that you can’t,” declared Miss Anne emphatically. - -“Six to four,” offered Lionel, who was not a Follitt for nothing. - -“Two to one would be more like it,” proposed the young lady. “I only -mean sovereigns, of course. I’m not on the make.” - -“Done!” answered Lionel promptly. “I wish it were thousands!” - -“Well, it’s in your stable!” laughed Miss Anne, who seemed pleased, “and -I suppose you know what you can do.” - -“There’s only one condition. You must ask him before me.” - -“All right.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -The interview which was the consequence of Miss Trevelyan’s bet took -place the following morning, in the presence of most of the family. As -has been said, the Trevelyans had the privilege of the mess-room when -the house was full; and as Anne was very much in earnest, she found her -way there after breakfast, when she was sure Jocelyn and his brothers -would be together. She was not disappointed. They were scattered about -the big room when she came in, and the Colonel was writing a note at his -little desk before the window. - -Lionel guessed why she had come, and gave her a lead at once. He had the -morning paper in his hand. - -“Have you seen this?” he asked, looking at her directly. “There’s been -another of those awful motor accidents. The thing ran away, and caught -fire, and was smashed by an express train. Frightful, isn’t it!” - -“Anybody we know?” asked Miss Anne, coming up to him. - -“Nothing particular was found of the people,” he answered; “but there -seems to be an idea that they were foreign tourists. It’s one to you, -Miss Anne. No one ever seems to get killed in a balloon, unless they go -to the North Pole.” - -“Ballooning is no more dangerous than football,” answered Miss -Trevelyan, turning her back to the fireplace and looking round the room. -“You get rather bumped about sometimes, in coming down, but that’s all. -Why don’t you try it?” - -She looked about her vaguely. - -“Is that meant for me?” inquired Lionel. - -“It’s meant for anybody who will come with me next time.” - -The brothers had dropped their newspapers and were listening, and the -Colonel had turned in his seat, after finishing his note, and was -looking at her. - -“We can’t all go,” observed Claude. - -“And as I have no time for that sort of thing,” said Lionel, “the choice -is not large, for I don’t suppose the Governor is going in for -aeronautics.” - -“Why not?” asked the Colonel, perennially young. - -“I wonder what the Lady would say?” laughed Claude. - -“Of course my brother will go with us, so it will be quite proper,” said -Miss Anne coolly. - -“The Governor is welcome to my place,” said Claude. “I’ve promised to -ride a steeplechase next month, and I’m not very keen about breaking any -bones before it comes off.” - -“That narrows the invitation to the Governor and Jocelyn,” observed -Lionel, “and I’ll lay odds that the Governor will be the only one of the -family who will accept.” - -“What odds?” inquired Jocelyn, who had not spoken yet. - -“Oh, anything,” laughed Lionel. “Five to one if you like.” - -“Tens?” Jocelyn asked. - -“Yes; I’ll go fifty against it.” - -“Done!” answered Jocelyn promptly, for he was hard up, and Lionel knew -it. - -“Will you really come?” asked Anne, affecting cold surprise. - -“Rather!” - -“Jocelyn was always a sordid beast,” observed Claude in a brotherly -manner. “He’d sell his soul for fifty pounds.” - -But Jocelyn remained unmoved. “I don’t know about my soul,” he answered, -“but you may have the brown filly at the price.” - -“That imp of Satan? Not much!” - -Jocelyn made no answer to Claude’s disparaging remark about the filly, -but turned to Miss Trevelyan in a businesslike manner. - -“When is it to be, and where?” he asked. - -“We’ll make the usual start,” Anne answered. “But we shall have to wait -till Bob’s wrist is all right again.” - -“He isn’t wearing it in a sling any more,” said Jocelyn, who, for -reasons of his own, was in a hurry to win his brother’s money. - -“Call it three weeks from Monday,” said Anne, after a moment’s thought, -during which she had mentally run over the list of her numerous -engagements. “I’ll let you know the hour. We’ll start no matter what the -weather is, of course. We always do.” - -So the matter was settled much more easily than she had anticipated, and -she was proportionately grateful to Lionel for making her lose her own -small bet. - -“You’ll be forty-nine sovereigns to the bad,” she said with a pleasant -smile as she paid it, “and it’s rather a shady transaction, I suppose. -But I’ll make it up to you somehow.” - -“That’s all right.” - -Lionel reflected on human nature afterwards, and more particularly on -the ways of young women; but it is due to him and to Anne Trevelyan to -say that he did not like her any the less for what she had done. On the -contrary, he would cheerfully have made a larger sacrifice to see her -married to his brother, since that happy result would effectually put an -end to his mother’s plans for his future bliss. - -During the remaining three days of the Trevelyans’ visit, after the -house-party had scattered, he already had reason to congratulate himself -on his investment. The singular transaction which had taken place in the -mess-room had broken the ice between Anne and Jocelyn, and for the first -time in their acquaintance they were seen talking together apart from -the others. At dinner, too, they exchanged remarks, and judging from -what they said the rest of the party might have supposed that their -conversation consisted chiefly in making satirical observations on each -other’s personal tastes; but now and then, when Jocelyn said something -particularly disagreeable, Anne laughed cheerfully, as though she liked -it, and when she returned the thrust with interest Jocelyn’s large -good-natured mouth twitched a little and then smiled. They acted like a -couple of healthy terrier puppies, whose idea of a good game is to bite -each other in the back of the neck and catch each other by the hind leg, -and then to rush wildly off in opposite directions, only to turn back -the next moment and go at each other again, with furious barking and -showing of young teeth, which is all a part of the fun. It would be -beneath their dignity as fighting dogs not to pretend to fight each -other when no sworn enemy is about; but it would be against the laws of -puppy honour to do each other any real harm. - -Lionel saw and understood, and so did quiet little Mrs. Trevelyan; but -the Colonel could not make out what was going on, for he was a mild man -who had inherited the sentiments of the Victorian age, and only -recognised that he was growing old because he felt that his own methods -of being agreeable in the eyes of women were antiquated. - -As for Lady Jane, she was not at all disturbed, for Lionel and Anne were -as good friends as ever, and were, in fact, more intimate since they had -entered into an offensive and defensive alliance. Besides, the presence -of the undesirable governess had contributed greatly to her peace of -mind. Her gratitude had already shown itself in the advice she had given -Miss Scott as to arranging her hair, and the effect was so good that she -contemplated some further improvements. What made the governess look -like a housemaid, though it was clear that she was a lady, was her red -nose and the blotch. A lady might limp and have a bad figure, and even -be a little crooked, but a red nose was distinctly plebeian in Lady -Jane’s code, and blotches were a somewhat repulsive disfigurement. She -was really kind-hearted, but she knew that she was not always tactful, -and it was with some trepidation that she approached the subject, having -summoned Miss Scott to her morning room to ask whether the girls were -doing well at their lessons. - -“You are really quite wonderful,” said Lady Jane, when the governess -assured her that Evelyn now really understood that Henry V. of England -did not fight for the French crown on the ground that he was the son of -Henry IV. of France, and that Gwendolen had remembered “nine times -eight” for three whole days. “And are you quite sure,” Lady Jane asked, -“that you wish to stay with us? Does the air here--er--quite agree with -you?” - -“Oh, yes, indeed!” answered Miss Scott, with alacrity; “besides, I -should be perfectly well anywhere.” - -“Because I sometimes think that, perhaps, your circulation is not as -good as it might be.” - -“Really?” cried Miss Scott, very much surprised, for she had not the -faintest idea what Lady Jane was driving at. “I never thought of my -circulation.” - -Lady Jane hesitated, and looked at her, not without a certain motherly -kindness. “I’ve noticed,” she said, looking away again, “that you -sometimes have--er--in fact, always since I have known you, a -slight--er--redness.” - -“Oh, yes, I know,” answered Miss Scott, with a very slight tremor in -her voice, which was really due to the fact that she felt the warning -symptoms of coming laughter. - -But Lady Jane was afraid that she had touched a sensitive spot, and had -given pain. However, she was in for it now. - -“Please don’t think me meddlesome,” she said gently; “but I really know -that those little things generally come from a bad circulation, and can -be very much improved, if not quite cured, by diet and by taking the -right sort of exercise.” - -“I’m afraid my nose isn’t that kind,” answered Miss Scott with -difficulty, for she could scarcely speak. - -“Perhaps not. But Sir Jasper Threlfall is coming next week, and he is -such a great authority, you know. I am sure he would be willing--if you -don’t mind too much----” - -When Miss Scott understood she started in real fright. “Oh, please, -please! I’ll do anything you like, but please don’t ask me to see a -doctor!” - -There was no mistaking her real distress now, and Lady Jane felt that it -was impossible to insist. - -“I’m sorry,” she said, “but of course, if you feel so strongly about it, -I won’t say anything more. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind very much trying -some stuff I always use myself if I happen to get burnt by the wind when -motoring. It’s not at all nasty, you know--in fact, it’s rather nice, -and it’s very soothing. Will you let me send a bottle to your room? I -always keep a supply.” - -“It’s most kind of you, I am sure,” answered Ellen, immensely relieved. -“I can’t tell you how I dread seeing a doctor! If you will only tell me -just what to do, I shall be very grateful.” - -Lady Jane’s lotion for the face was a marvellous compound. Judging from -the short, but imposing, statement set forth on the neat Parisian label, -it was the highest achievement of two famous French chemists in -collaboration with an ancient and celebrated manufactory of perfumery in -the Rue de Rivoli. Miss Scott, who was strictly truthful, said that she -used it conscientiously, and so she did; but she did not add that she -had another little bottle of her own, the contents of which she applied -with equal regularity to her nose and her cheek during at least a week -after her interview with Lady Jane. When the lotion was almost finished, -however, a marked improvement was visible. Her nose was still as red as -ever, but the disfiguring blotch grew rapidly smaller and paler. Lady -Jane was delighted, but, with the exception of Lionel, the men of the -family were so thoroughly convinced that poor Miss Scott was a dreadful -sight, that they did not notice the change at all, while Lady Jane’s -interest in the cure she was effecting steadily increased. It is well -known that a red nose is even harder to cure than a bad complexion, but -she did not lose heart. Bottle after bottle of the wonderful lotion was -sent to the governess’s room, and Lady Jane was soon obliged to order a -fresh supply from Paris. Her maid, who had been the first to discover -that Ellen was a perfect lady, took a lively interest in the cure. - -“It’s a wonderful change for the better, miss, if I may say so,” she -said, “and it’s a mercy that her ladyship happens to use the lotion, for -I must say she never needed it - -[Illustration: “‘You mark my words, miss. The Lord knoweth his own.’”] - -in her life. But the Lord knoweth His own, miss, and Providence never -meant that your sweet face should be spoilt by an ugly patch.” - -The maid was pious, and had reached that age at which piety has some -chance of being permanent. - -“It’s very nice of you to take so much interest,” answered Ellen, in the -tone which had won the humbler part of the household from the first. - -“And pray who wouldn’t?” inquired the excellent woman. “Mark my words, -miss,” she added, as she went out, “the Lord knoweth His own.” - -Lionel was in the secret, of course, and watched the cure with secret -delight and amusement. Evelyn and Gwendolen also noticed the change, and -understood perfectly well that if the governess’s nose paled to a -natural colour, she would be decidedly pretty, which was a consummation -they devoutly wished. They were uncommonly good judges in those matters -too, for they had long ago discovered that the amount of liberty they -enjoyed was in direct proportion to the good looks of their governess -for the time being, though the length of her stay with them was always -inversely as her prettiness. Now Miss Scott had at first been terrible -to them; but since she was going to be pretty, one of two things was -sure to happen. If she stayed, their brothers would make claims upon her -time out of school hours, which would leave them free to follow their -own devices; but if she grew too pretty she would be sent away, and the -two girls were quite sure that such another terror to their liberty -could not be found in the three kingdoms, and that any change must be -for the better. - -At this stage in the cure of her complexion the governess’s lameness -diminished perceptibly, and Lady Jane’s sympathetic maid was sure that -the misshapen shoulder was less apparent than before. - -“If this goes on,” said Evelyn to her sister in the privacy of their own -room, “she won’t stay long.” - -“She says the air’s good for her,” answered Gwendolen cheerfully. “I saw -Claude staring at her yesterday. He had such a funny look.” - -“I know,” answered Evelyn wisely. “That’s always what they call the -beginning of the end. I hope we shall have as long a holiday as last -time.” - -“We’ll have some jolly fishing,” said Gwendolen. “I’ll bet there are -heaps of worms in the old corner by the rose bush now, for we haven’t -disturbed them for a long time.” - -“There are heaps of things I want to do,” rejoined the elder girl in a -musing tone. “The men are quite right, you know: fishing with worms -isn’t at all sporting. The real thing is a fly.” - -“But we’ve got no tackle for that,” objected the junior partner. “I -don’t see what we can do.” - -“We’ll cabbage it.” - -This well-known method of obtaining supplies of all sorts was familiar -to Gwendolen, and she nodded gravely. - -“There’s another thing I must do,” she said. - -“I know,” Evelyn said quickly: “it’s the brown filly Jocelyn bought last -month. I want to ride her too. We’ll toss up for the first mount, as we -always do.” - -“I was thinking,” suggested the enterprising Gwendolen, “that if we -could manage to get her and Charley’s Aunt out at the same time, when -the men are at dinner, we could have a real steeplechase, straight -across the park to the King’s Oak and back to the stables again.” - -“That’s an idea. Wouldn’t they be horrified? They’d say it was awfully -dangerous, in and out through the trees!” - -“Oh, well,” answered Gwendolen philosophically, “you can only break your -neck once, you know.” - -It soon began to look as if these delightful dreams were to be realised, -for Miss Scott’s appearance improved at an almost phenomenal rate. She -was so much better that she was able to put another shoe on her right -foot, and the sole was not really very much thicker than the other. She -had confessed to Lady Jane that she had not always been lame. It had -come upon her very suddenly one day, and she thought that the regular -exercise with the girls had done her good; which was doubtless true, -though it might be considered to be an independent proposition. Lady -Jane was glad, because a lame governess always attracts attention, and -that is just what a governess should not do. The good lady now conceived -the idea of improving that poor Miss Scott’s looks still further, by -suggesting that she should put a little stuffing on the shoulder that -was lower than the other. Ellen said she could do it herself, and she -produced the desired effect, not by the means suggested, but by reducing -the hump itself a very little, and afterwards a little more. At the same -time, by some art she had doubtless learned in amateur theatricals, her -clothes began to fit her better, until one day the Colonel came upon her -accidentally when she was getting a book in the library, standing on -tiptoe and raising both her hands to reach a high shelf, a position -which is usually trying to awkwardly made young women; and it suddenly -occurred to the still susceptible father of all the Follitts that poor -Miss Scott’s figure was not really so bad after all. - -“Won’t you let me help you?” he asked, approaching her of his own accord -for the first time since she had been in the house. “What book are you -looking for?” - -“Oh, thank you,” Ellen answered, dropping her hands and colouring -slightly, though merely from surprise. “If you would--it’s the first -volume of Macaulay’s History. I’m just too short to reach it.” - -The Colonel was close to her now, and was looking at her curiously, but -not without admiration. He had been vaguely aware for some time past -that her complexion had improved, but with him the habit of not looking -at a plain young woman was very strong. What he now saw was a complete -surprise. Poor Miss Scott’s complexion was as clear and radiant as that -of the girls themselves, her brown eyes were bright and soft, and though -her thick hair was of no particular colour, it waved charmingly. - -All this was so unexpected that Colonel Follitt positively stared at -her, though quite unconsciously. But Ellen understood, and was not -offended, though she turned to the books again to avoid his gaze. He was -at once conscious of his own rudeness, and feared that he had made a bad -impression, so he lost no time in getting down the volume that was just -out of her reach. - -By way of prolonging the interview, however, he made a great show of -dusting it, debating meanwhile whether it would be safe and wise to -offer a little apology. - -“I really didn’t mean to be rude just now,” he said with much humility, -as he handed her the history. “Our Yorkshire air is doing you a lot of -good, isn’t it?” - -Miss Scott smiled pleasantly, and might have made some answer, but at -that moment Jocelyn entered through the open door, and saw the two -standing close together in the bright light, directly before him. He -suppressed an exclamation of surprise. It was not the first time that he -had come upon his young-hearted parent in pleasant conversation with a -pretty governess, but it was certainly the first time that he had -thought Miss Scott in the least good-looking; for he had inherited his -father’s knack of keeping his eyes off such unpleasing sights as red -noses and blotched cheeks. Besides, he had in reality been too much -occupied of late in admiring Anne Trevelyan to pay any attention to -governesses. What he felt now was genuine surprise and nothing else, and -he at once came nearer in order to inspect the phenomenon. His impassive -face did not betray his thoughts. By the time he was close to the -Colonel he had made sure that Miss Scott was really transformed from -almost repulsive ugliness to undeniable prettiness, and he merely asked -his father an unimportant question about the stables, and added that he -had come to hunt up the pedigree of a certain Derby winner about which -there had been a discussion in the mess-room after breakfast. For the -library at King’s Follitt contained a noble collection of turf annals. - -But the Colonel’s own mind was a perfect encyclopædia of such -information, and - -[Illustration: “‘Where are the girls?’ she inquired, in a frigid -tone.”] - -before his son moved to get the volume, he was already running off the -pedigree in question as glibly as a quick schoolboy would say the -multiplication table. - -And now another thing happened; for coincidences, like misfortunes, do -not often come singly. Lady Jane herself made her appearance; and though -she considered Miss Scott’s cure to be due to her own kindly efforts, -she had not fully realised the result until she saw the charming young -face smiling in admiration at her husband’s marvellous memory, while -Jocelyn stole another glance at Ellen to convince himself that the -amazing change was real. Lady Jane had come in almost noiselessly. - -“Where are the girls?” she inquired, in a frigid tone. - -The Colonel started as if he had heard a runaway motor-car close behind -him in the road, and even the impassive Jocelyn turned his face sharply -towards his mother. - -“The girls are in the schoolroom,” answered Miss Scott, with smiling -calm. “I came to find Macaulay’s History for them, and the Colonel was -good enough to get it down for me.” - -With this simple and truthful explanation she left the group and went -away, taking the book with her. - -But from that moment Lady Jane’s peace of mind faded away like a -pleasant dream, and the familiar spectre began to haunt her again with -its green eyes and whispered suggestions. She was ashamed that her -manner showed some change towards Miss Scott herself, but she could not -help it. Only yesterday at luncheon she, too, had seen Claude looking -steadily at the governess with that expression which the girls had at -once recognised--the alert glance and expectant readiness of the -sportsman when birds are about; and now she had found two others of her -flock in close conversation with the new charmer. As if that were not -enough, she realised in a flash that this pretty creature was the -undesirable governess whom her eldest son had been treating with so much -kindness and familiarity for the sake of the learned and useful Herbert -Scott. Coming upon her all at once, it was too much for Lady Jane to -bear. - -“I really think you might employ your time better,” she said in icy -tones, and thereupon she turned and went away, leaving the Colonel and -Jocelyn together. - -Ellen understood very well what had happened, and she regretted her -readiness in submitting to the cure. Her life at King’s Follitt had been -very delightful, and she foresaw that her stay was now to be limited. -On the other hand, she had never intended that it should last very long, -and she had meant from the first to leave as soon as she was sure of -having made a good impression on Lady Jane. It looked as if the moment -had now come, and she talked the matter over with Lionel. It was always -easy enough to get rid of the girls for half an hour in the course of a -walk; and two or three days after the little scene in the library, -Lionel and Ellen were sitting together again, on the rock by the -moorland road, while Evelyn and Gwendolen tickled trout in the pool -below on the other side of the knoll. - -“I must do one of two things,” Ellen said: “I must either redden my nose -and go lame again, or I must go away, since I have ceased to be -undesirable.” - -Lionel looked at her, and then at the ground, and was silent. He meant -to marry her before long, but he was inclined to put off the moment when -he must tell his father and mother of his intention. The Follitts were -not timid people, as a family, and, in spite of his mild ways, the -Colonel had distinguished himself in active service; but they were not -more remarkable for moral courage than average people usually are, which -was one reason why everybody liked them. People with noble qualities are -sometimes very hard to live with: the daily exhibition of self-control -is both discouraging and fatiguing to ordinary people who have not much -of it, and those superior individuals who have no moral timidity rarely -hesitate to show us what poor creatures we really are. In this respect -Lionel, as well as his father and brother, was very like ordinary -people. But Lady Jane was not, and they knew it, and their genuine -affection was tempered by a wholesome dread. - -“Which shall it be?” Ellen asked, after a long time. - -“Which would you rather do?” asked Lionel weakly. - -This time it was she who glanced at Lionel and looked down; but she was -not silent, as he had been. “I should like you to make up my mind for -me,” she said, in a rather low voice. - -He knew what that meant, but it no more occurred to him that she was -pressing him to make a much more important decision than such a thought -had crossed her own mind. The words had come quite naturally, and they -were the right ones under the circumstances. Lionel knew that it was -time to act if he was not a coward, and the moral timidity of the -Follitts had never gone so far as that. They would all put off a -difficult interview or a disagreeable scene as long as possible, but -when it was positively necessary to stand up for their beliefs, or their -likes or dislikes, they did not run away. - -“We must be married in June,” Lionel said, after a moment’s thought. “In -the meantime you had better go back to your father and leave me to -settle matters with my mother. It has been an amusing little comedy, and -no one need ever know the truth but you and I. To begin it over again -would not be worthy of you, and I should be a brute if I allowed it. -Besides, I am sure those girls would find you out.” - -“That’s very likely,” answered Ellen. - -“My mother has grown very fond of you, too, and though she is afraid -that we shall all make love to you if you stay, the good impression -will remain if you leave, and that’s something, after all.” - -“She will never consent to your marrying a foundling,” Ellen said -gravely. “That will be the real difficulty.” - -“Why need she know that you are not really Herbert Scott’s daughter?” - -“Because I won’t marry you unless she knows the whole truth,” answered -Ellen with determination. “She will probably be very angry in any case, -but she will forgive us in time. Don’t you see how dreadful it would be -if there should be something more to tell after she has accepted the -situation?” - -Lionel saw that she was right, and made up his mind to face the whole -difficulty at once. He said so. - -“Then I’ll speak to Lady Jane to-morrow morning,” Ellen said. “She will -probably be only too glad to let me go at once.” - -“You may be sure of that!” laughed Lionel, for she had told him what had -taken place in the library. - -“Then this is going to be good-bye until you come to town again?” she -said, rather sadly. - -“I suppose so,” Lionel admitted disconsolately. - -They looked at each other a moment. - -“Are you quite--quite sure that you want it?” she asked presently. - -“Quite sure,” he answered, without hesitation. - -“Because men have done such things and have been sorry afterwards. Since -I’ve been here I’ve understood that it’s not going to be nearly so easy -for you as I had thought. I’ve not spoken about it, but I must before -you take the final step. It’s all so different from what I had expected, -or even dreamed of.” - -“What is different?” Lionel asked. - -“The way you live. You see, you never told me anything about it. You -only said that your father was a country gentleman, decently well off, -and that you could give yourself up to study because you would have -enough to live on. You never gave me the least idea that you were very -rich people, nor that it was a great old estate and entailed, and all -that sort of thing. It makes a difference, you know.” - -“I don’t see why,” Lionel objected. - -“I do. It’s one thing for the son of a quiet, retired officer of no -particular position to marry a foundling and a governess. It’s quite -another, now that you turn out to be great country people, related to -half the peerage, and perfectly frightfully rich. I wish you were not.” - -Lionel laughed. “If I were not,” he answered, “I should not be able to -do as I please without asking leave of any one. I should have to go to -work to earn our living, and I have not the faintest idea how I should -do that. As a matter of fact, I should not have had the right to ask you -to marry me, just for the pleasure of starving together.” - -“That would be better than nothing,” answered Ellen, without much -reflection. “As it is, I am not sure that I have a right to marry -you--though I will, if you’ll have me! Every one will call me a scheming -adventuress.” - -“I think not,” said Lionel, and his rather gentle and melancholy face -grew suddenly obdurate and almost remorseless. “Of course there will be -one row and a general exchange of pleasant family amenities. But there -will never be another.” - -“And what will happen if I change my mind, and tell you that it has all -been a mistake, and that I think it would be very wrong of me to marry -you, because I should ruin your life?” - -“I don’t know what would happen,” Lionel answered, with a confident -smile. “You had better ask a dramatist or a man who writes novels.” - -He was right in that, for they were the least dramatic pair in the -world, and Lionel’s courtship had been of the simplest and most -conventional sort. Their affection for each other had begun quietly, and -had grown the more steadily and strongly for having been quite -undisturbed, until it had entirely absorbed their two existences into -one growth. The idea of separation seemed as absurd to them now as that -the law of gravity should be suddenly reversed, or that trees should -grow upside down. They did not realise that such attachments really -have in them the character of fate--the very kind which most surely ends -in tragedy when it does not lead to perfect happiness. - -Even now, when action was unavoidable and the first great moment seemed -to be at hand, they parted without much show of feeling. Each felt -perfectly sure of the other, and both were certain that there would not -be many more partings. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -Ellen knocked at the door of Lady Jane’s morning room and composed her -face for the coming interview. She was quite sure that her request to be -allowed to leave at once would be granted with enthusiasm, but it was -necessary to play her little part with circumspection and dignity. - -She found Lady Jane armed to the teeth: to be plain, she was dressed for -motoring, and presented a formidable appearance, besides being evidently -in a hurry. But Miss Scott was not intimidated; on the contrary, she -judged that the interview would be the sooner over. - -“I’ve come to ask if you will let me off my engagement, and allow me to -go home,” she said quietly. - -Lady Jane stared hard at her for a moment, before speaking. - -“Why?” - -That was all; but the question was not exactly easy to answer, and she -was quite unprepared for it. - -“I shall be very grateful if you will let me go,” she said. - -“But why? You must have a reason, and I think I have a right to know -what it is.” - -Ellen felt inclined to recall to Lady Jane the tone of the -advertisement, but was afraid that she might be thought vain of her -present improved appearance. - -“You have been very kind to me,” she said, after a moment’s thought; “I -shall never forget it. But the greatest kindness of all will be to let -me go home.” - -Lady Jane was still standing; she made a step forward, so that she was -quite close to the governess, and she gazed steadily into her eyes. - -“Some one has annoyed you,” she said suddenly, with great decision. “I -am quite sure of it. No, my dear, you need not shake your head. I know -it. The fact is, that from being perfectly”--she was going to say -hideous, but checked herself--“from being distinctly plain, you have -grown to be as pretty as a picture! And the usual result has followed! -You’ve turned all their heads!” - -“Really, Lady Jane!” cried Miss Scott in a tone of deprecation, and she -could not help blushing in the most charming way possible. - -“It’s quite true.” Lady Jane sat down and looked disconsolately at her -neat gaiters. “It’s all my fault for giving you my lotion and making -you dress better,” she added, evidently in extreme dejection. - -Ellen bit her lip. “I can’t help being grateful to you for it,” she -said. - -“The worst of it is that I’ve grown to like you,” responded Lady Jane in -evident despair. “If it was only because you’re such a good governess, -and have such wonderful influence over the girls, it wouldn’t matter -much, would it?” - -Ellen smiled, in spite of herself, but could find nothing to say. - -“You see,” Lady Jane continued, “I have never had a governess I liked, -till now. If you knew what I’ve been through with them! There was that -Miss Kirk, with her violet eyes--oh, that Miss Kirk! I wonder I did not -beat her! One of the most delightful moments of my life was when I told -her to go. But you! You’re the ideal! What possessed me, to give you my -lotion! I might have known it would cure you.” - -She was really distressed, but Miss Scott did not know what to say. - -“I saw it coming,” Lady Jane went on, presently. “I’ve seen this coming -for days and days! Why in the world must all my men be such utter -butterflies--the whole hive of them! I mean--of course, butterflies -don’t live in hives, do they?--oh, you know what I mean! But when I saw -how well you behaved--with such dignity, so unlike that Miss Kirk--well, -I thought you would give them all a lesson, and that there would be -peace. But I suppose that was impossible.” - -“But it’s not that, I assure you,” objected Ellen. - -“Nonsense! It’s very nice of you to say so, of course, and you may be -sure that I shall not ask you to go into details. That wouldn’t be quite -nice of me, would it? But you can’t go! You simply can’t, for I won’t -let you; and I’m sure I don’t know what is to be done if you stay.” - -“I really think I must go, Lady Jane.” - -“Oh, no!” cried Lady Jane, with the utmost decision. “That’s quite -ridiculous, you know, so we needn’t talk about it. The question is, what -will happen next? Do you think, perhaps, that if you stop using the -lotion, your complexion will--er----” - -“Get blotchy again?” asked Ellen, completing the sentence. “It may, I -suppose; but I think the thing is quite gone. Will you look at my -cheek?” - -Lady Jane bent down a little, for she was much the taller, and -carefully examined the cheek in question, poking it with one of her -heavily gloved fingers. - -“No,” she said regretfully, “it’s just like a healthy baby’s. Of -course,” she added, with what seemed a happy inspiration, “you could do -your hair as you used to again, like a skinned rabbit. And I suppose you -could wear your clothes in a bunch; and it’s not necessary for your -health for you to stuff out your shoulder. By-the-bye, it’s awfully well -done!” - -She put out her hands with the evident intention of touching the -stuffing; but as there was none, Ellen sprang back, dodging away from -her and laughing. - -“Oh, please don’t!” she cried. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Lady Jane in surprise. - -“I’m so dreadfully ticklish about the neck! I really cannot bear to -have any one touch me. I should have a fit!” - -“How very odd! Were you always like that? But some people are. Never -mind, I won’t touch you, my dear. Only, if you were willing just to make -those little changes in your appearance--er--it’s a great deal to ask, I -suppose, isn’t it?” - -“Well--frankly, it is, Lady Jane,” Ellen laughed, in spite of herself. - -But she was immensely disturbed by the unexpected difficulty that faced -her, and she had a vision of being obliged to run away as the only means -of escaping. - -“I don’t see what else we can do,” returned Lady Jane. “As for parting -with you, it’s out of the question. My girls are different beings since -you have had them in hand. If you knew what my life has been, since they -were out of the nursery, compared with what it is now, you really -wouldn’t have the heart to talk of leaving me, nor the conscience -either!” - -“I’m very, very glad that you are pleased,” Ellen answered, with an air -of meek gratitude, “but I assure you I must----” - -“No doubt, but you shan’t, my dear, and there’s an end of it!” Lady Jane -was ready to lose her temper, but laughed to hide the fact. “It’s out of -the question at this moment,” she continued. “We are all going off -to-day, and you must see yourself that the girls cannot be left alone in -the house with Lionel! They would set the place on fire, or go to town -by themselves and get lost, or do some dreadful thing. Don’t you see?” - -“I did not know you were all going away,” said Ellen, somewhat -disturbed. - -“Yes. We only made up our minds last night, or I would have told you. -Jocelyn is going up with the Trevelyans in their balloon to-morrow -morning, and my husband and I want to see the start; and Claude is to -play for Yorkshire at Lords to-morrow, and when we’ve seen the ascent, -the Colonel wants to watch the match, and I mean to chase the balloon in -the new motor. I’ve got an electric searchlight, with accumulators, -fitted up so that I can see it all night. Rather sporting, that, isn’t -it? We may fetch up at John O’Groat’s House, or at Land’s End, you -know--so delightfully uncertain--you cannot tell which way the thing -will go. But just fancy my anxiety if I knew all the time that those -little pickles were riding steeplechases in the park, or motoring across -country and breaking their necks. It’s too awful to think of!” - -“Quite too dreadful,” assented Ellen. “But you won’t be away long, I -suppose? I will stay till you come home, at all events, if you wish it.” - -“Wish it? I should think I did! Besides, you must, my dear. So that’s -settled, and we’ll be off, for it’s getting late.” - -A quarter of an hour later the huge motor was bowling down the Malton -road, and King’s Follitt was left to Lionel, Miss Scott, and the two -girls, very much to the surprise of all four. For on the previous -evening Lionel had gone off to his books soon after dinner, and had -finished breakfast with his sisters and the governess before any of the -others appeared. Indeed, it was not till luncheon that he knew of their -abrupt departure. - -At the first opportunity, Ellen told him about the interview in the -morning, and added that she meant to disappear as soon as the family -returned. That would be the only way open to her. - -Lionel was as much surprised as she had been by Lady Jane’s attitude, -but it seemed promising for the future. At all events, when the time -came for him to declare his intention of marrying Miss Scott, he could -remind his mother that she had liked Ellen for her own sake; and as she -was a truthful and just woman, she would not deny it. That would be -something, at all events: matters would have been far worse if she had -hated the governess, as she had hated the former ones, each and all. - -“We must be married in June,” Lionel said again, for having once made up -his mind he was not likely to change it. “We will spend the summer -abroad, and go to India next winter. By that time they will have got -used to the idea, and a year hence we can come home.” - -“That sounds delightful,” Ellen answered. “I wish we could take my -father, for no one knows India as he does. But then, we couldn’t be -alone all the time, if he came.” - -“I should like to take him,” said Lionel. “Perhaps we could bargain for -so many hours a day!” - -But they did not take Mr. Herbert Scott of the British Museum to India, -or anywhere else; for things turned out very differently. The Fate of -the Follitts had been dozing comfortably for some time, but now she -suddenly woke up refreshed with sleep, and got into the balloon with -Jocelyn and the Trevelyans, and did queer things, which nobody else -could have done. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -The wind was fresh from the south-west, with rain, and the night was -dark. The balloon was driving along at a dangerous rate, considering the -low altitude. - -“I give it up,” said Bob Trevelyan, who had not spoken for a long time. -“We’ve been travelling five hours, and I haven’t the vaguest idea where -we are.” - -“Does it matter much?” inquired Jocelyn lazily. - -For he was comfortable where he was, and hoped that it would go on a -long time, since he was pleasantly close to Anne Trevelyan in the bottom -of the car. No one who has not been up in a gale can have any idea of -the profound quiet which seems to enfold the balloon as it is borne -noiselessly along in the arms of the wind, perhaps at thirty or forty -miles an hour. If it rains, you hear the drops pattering on the envelope -overhead; if you are near the ground at night, the howling of the wind -through the unseen trees comes up to you in a rather dismal way; but no -matter how hard it blows, there is peace and tranquillity in the car. - -Anne Trevelyan and her friend Lady Dorothy Wynne were poring over a map, -by the light of an electric lamp which Jocelyn held for them. - -“It might matter a little,” Anne said, looking up with a laugh as she -spoke; “for the only thing that is quite certain is that we are bound to -get to the sea pretty soon. I think I’ll have a look.” - -She got up, and all three scrambled to their feet and peered over the -edge of the car. - -“It really is rather a dirty night,” observed Lady Dorothy, with great -calm. - -“Distinctly,” said Anne, admitting what could not be denied. - -Jocelyn said nothing, for he knew that a woman who is inaccessible to -physical fear is much more reckless than any brave and sensible man has -a right to be, and he was beginning to wonder what the end would be -like, and how many arms and legs, or even necks, would be broken before -morning. For it was his first ascent, and though he was not scared he -realised that there was danger. - -There had been a good deal of delay at the start, and the breeze had -been light from the south during most of the afternoon, though the sky -had been threatening. The wind had strengthened, however, as it hauled -to the south-west, and at dusk it had freshened to a gale. Then the -darkness had come on quickly, almost suddenly, as it does even on land, -when the sky blackens with heavy clouds just at sunset. It was now quite -impossible to distinguish anything on the face of the earth below, but -all around the horizon there was a faint belt of grey, which was not -light, but was not quite pitch darkness. The ominous moaning of the wind -amongst the trees began to make itself heard. - -“It’s not wildly gay here,” said Lady Dorothy. “Can’t you manage to get -above the clouds?” - -Bob pointed to the inky sky overhead. “Those clouds are half a mile -thick,” he said quietly. “There you are! We’re in another!” - -“How are we off for ballast?” inquired Anne, as the chilly fog filled -the car. - -“Six bags gone already, and only two left,” Bob answered with grim calm. - -“Not really?” cried Dorothy in some dismay. - -“Yes. How can you expect any balloon to keep up in this rain? She’s -being battered down by it. We are getting lower every minute.” - -At that moment the balloon shivered like a live thing, and flapped her -loose sides. Bob shovelled some sand overboard. - -“We’ll keep the last bag,” he said; “but to-morrow’s breakfast must go. -Pass me the bottle of milk--that’s heavy.” - -Jocelyn got a big stoneware bottle from the basket by the light of the -electric lamp, and gave it to Trevelyan. - -“Don’t murder anybody below,” he said. - -Bob dropped the thing overboard, and almost immediately a dull thud was -heard out of the darkness as it struck the earth. But there was no -sound of breaking; they were over a meadow or a ploughed field. - -“Give me that pie,” said Bob. “Wasn’t there a magnum of champagne -somewhere? It’s got to go too.” - -“Hullo! What’s that?” cried Anne joyfully. “I believe it’s the moon, and -we’re out of the clouds!” - -“By Jove!” ejaculated Jocelyn, who was not easily surprised, and was not -at all enthusiastic about the beauties of nature. - -The inky cloud had not been so deep as Bob had supposed, and the -balloon, responding the instant her ballast was lightened, had struck -upwards to the clear outer air; the moon had risen, and was still almost -full, and in the far sky, beyond her radiance, the stars twinkled softly -as on a summer night. - -The four young people almost held their - -[Illustration: - - “The huge black shadow of the balloon ran swiftly over it.” -] - -breath while they were silently borne along in a vision of transcendent -beauty. Beneath them, the dark clouds had been whirling in the gale that -tore and churned and wrung them with its unseen airy hands; above, there -was the peace of heaven itself and the loveliness of earth’s first -moonlight on the evening after the first day. The moving mass of cloud -below looked suddenly motionless, vast and solid as grey rock, and the -huge black shadow of the balloon and the car ran swiftly over it, clear -and sharply outlined. - -It only lasted a few minutes, for the heavy rain had soaked everything -and a descent was inevitable. Soon the wet fog rose and closed overhead -again, the moon took strange opalescent colours, and was dimmed and then -disappeared, as the balloon sank steadily into the storm. - -“If we had only had a fine night, we could have got to Scotland,” said -Dorothy Wynne, in a tone of profound regret. - -“Don’t you be too sure!” answered Bob. “With this wind it looks more -like the North Sea!” - -“Then if our ballast had held out we could have got across to Norway,” -retorted the young lady, who was not to be daunted by trifles. - -But at this moment the car jerked violently, throwing all its four -occupants against one side of itself. It turned and rolled and jumped -like a skiff in a breaking sea. - -“Hang on, girls!” cried Bob Trevelyan. “We’re on our trial rope -already!” - -The two young women were already hanging on by the rigging for dear -life; and Jocelyn was making it especially easy for Anne to hang on. -Indeed, she had a sensation which was very like being carried along in -his arms--which surprised her, for she knew she was not particularly -light in spite of her slim waist. A slender ash sapling can be as heavy -as a common pine nearly twice its size. - -Presently the jerking was varied by a violent wrench, which laid the car -on its side, and almost upset it. - -“Bad for that tree-top,” observed Bob, as the balloon sailed away again. -“What next, I wonder? Does any one see anything? One ought to, with that -moon up there; but it’s as dark as Erebus.” - -“It’s the blackest moonlight night I’ve ever known,” laughed Anne. - -Possibly she found it more amusing than the other did, and she certainly -felt more safe than Lady Dorothy possibly could. Jocelyn was a -surprisingly strong young man, and may have exaggerated her danger a -little. - -“I believe we are over a desert island,” said her friend cheerfully. -“I’ve not seen any lights for an age.” - -The conversation was interrupted by a tremendous wrench, and the car was -wrestling with another tree-top. - -“That was a rather thrilling moment!” laughed Anne Trevelyan. - -“I tell you what,” said Bob, not laughing at all, “at the first open -space we come to, down we go! We’re sinking every minute, and I don’t -want to stop her with my nose against the next oak we strike.” - -He spoke quietly, but the others understood their danger, and all four -peered down over the edge of the car in breathless silence, while the -balloon moved on in a series of irregular bounds, as the trail-rope -encountered more or less resistance. A faint grey line now became -visible ahead, where the belt of trees ended. - -“If we clear the trees, I’ll pop the valve,” said Bob quietly. “There -must be open ground beyond. Be ready with the anchor, Anne; Jocelyn will -help you. It’s a night for the ripping line, and I’ll manage that -myself.” - -All four clung to the rigging in silence for some moments. Then the -report of the suddenly opened valve rang through the air like a muffled -gunshot. Two seconds passed, not more, and Bob ripped. - -“Look out for the bump, girls!” - -The fast sinking car descended, slanting on the wind, till it struck the -ground with considerable force and was instantly overturned. The four -clung on with all their might, almost where they were, while Trevelyan -ripped again; the balloon swayed wildly, darted forward a couple of -yards, wrenching the car along after it, and then collapsed like a dying -game-cock. - -Bob crawled out of the wreck first, and then helped the others, and in -the gloom the two young girls silently straightened their hats; for that -is the first impulse of feminine humanity after an accident. If a woman -could be raised from the dead by radium, which begins to look possible, -she would straighten her hat before doing anything else. - -“This is all very well, but where are we?” asked Lady Dorothy, as soon -as that was done. - -“In a meadow,” answered Jocelyn. “Lucky it’s not a ploughed field.” - -“What a night!” groaned the young girl. - -For they had been dry and comfortable under the vast shelter of the -inflated balloon, but they were now almost instantly soaked through and -through by the lashing rain, and the two girls staggered as they stood -up and faced the raging gale. Again Jocelyn’s arm was very useful to -Miss Anne. - -“We must make for shelter at once,” her brother said. “After all, we are -in England, and we can’t be very far from civilisation. No one will -steal the balloon on a night like this.” - -“The old thing looks comfortable enough,” observed Jocelyn. “Rather -done, though!” - -He and Anne followed her brother and Dorothy, who led the way, linking -arms and bending their heads to the storm, while they waded through what -felt like a field of wet bathing sponges. Against the dim grey light -they could see the trees over which they had lately passed, writhing and -twisting in the gale. - -“If this is a meadow, it’s a pretty big one,” said Anne. - -At that moment Bob uttered an exclamation: he and his companion had -struck a narrow path covered with fine white gravel that gleamed in the -uncertain light. - -“We’re in a park!” cried Trevelyan. “What luck! That means a good-sized -house, at all events.” - -“And a possible dinner,” added Lady Dorothy cheerfully. - -But Jocelyn and Anne said nothing, because they were so busy in helping -each other to walk. All four tramped steadily along the path for a -couple of hundred yards or more, till they brought up short before an -insurmountable obstacle that suddenly loomed up out of the dark; it was -nothing less than a stone wall, at least fifteen feet high, which -evidently enclosed the grounds, and seemed to be topped by a row of -murderous-looking split spikes. The path turned aside some twenty feet -from it, and seemed to wander away aimlessly towards the trees. - -“This is an odd sort of place we’ve dropped into!” said Lady Dorothy; -and all four stood in a row and stared at the forbidding wall. - -“They evidently don’t encourage trespassers,” observed Trevelyan. - -“Only an idiot would waste all that money,” said Jocelyn, who was still -hard up, and momentarily looked at everything from the financial point -of view. - -“I rather wish we were on the other side of it,” Anne said. - -“You’ll be left waiting, dear,” answered Lady Dorothy, who adored -American slang. - -“Follow the path,” Jocelyn advised. “It must lead to the house in the -end.” - -There was clearly nothing else to be done, and for some minutes no sound -was heard but the regular tread of four pairs of strong shoes crunching -the fine gravel, and the swish of the driving rain, and the howling of -the wind in the trees not far off. They could still see the wall -stretching away into the gloom. - -Suddenly, there were lights in the distance, and a big house loomed -against the stormy sky; an ugly, square, uninviting house, as they saw -in a few minutes, for the sight had revived their spirits, and they -walked faster. Before long they struck the drive, towards which the path -led, and across the gravelled space to the front door. Trevelyan rang, -and the others huddled round him on the steps, to get shelter from the -rain. - -A footman in a quiet brown livery opened in a few moments, and they did -not notice that he seemed exceedingly surprised when he saw them; -indeed, his astonishment was altogether out of proportion to the -circumstances, for his jaw dropped, and he gasped audibly. All the four -were dazzled by the blaze of light from the vestibule, after having been -so long out of doors in the dark, and did not notice the man’s manner. -Trevelyan at once explained what brought them; and as soon as the -footman understood, he let them in, shut and locked the door, put the -key in his pocket, and went off, muttering something about the master of -the house. - -A few moments later the latter appeared in person, in evening dress, -and carrying his napkin in his hand, having evidently left his dinner in -the utmost haste. Though tired and half stupefied by the storm, the four -aëronauts were strongly impressed by his personality. He was by no means -an ill-looking man, yet there was something extraordinary and almost -terrifying in his appearance. He was tall, lean, strongly made, and of a -dark complexion, with smooth iron-grey hair; his jaw was broad and -square, his lips thin and determined. One sees many such men in England, -but not with eyes like his. They were round, but deep-set, and they were -at once luminous and hard, like those of the nobler birds of prey. I -know a tamer of wild beasts who has just such eyes as those; one would -almost say that he could not shut the lids if he tried, even for sleep, -and it is easy to - -[Illustration: - - “‘We are awfully sorry to intrude on your privacy in this way,’ he - said.” -] - -understand why the big tigers slink down and crouch under them, watching -him cautiously, as if his look would kill. - -Trevelyan spoke first. “We are awfully sorry to intrude on your privacy -in this way,” he said, remembering the spiked wall of the park, and -reflecting that it looked as forbidding as its owner. “We are -balloonists, and were caught in the storm, and had to come down where we -could, for fear of being blown out to sea--and it happened to be in your -grounds. Is the sea far off?” - -“A quarter of a mile,” answered the master of the house, in a deep, -quiet voice, much as a tamer speaks to his lions. - -Anne and Dorothy exchanged glances. - -“Then, considering what a narrow escape we’ve had,” Trevelyan continued, -“I hope you won’t mind our having trespassed.” - -At the last word a smile dawned on the grim face of the master of the -house. “I fancy you are the first people who have ever succeeded in -trespassing here,” he said. - -“I should think so!” cried Lady Dorothy. “We saw your wall.” - -They were beginning to think it strange that they were not asked to come -in, and Trevelyan was a trifle impatient. “Should you mind very much if -we came in and dried ourselves a bit?” he asked. “The ladies are -soaking.” - -“And I am very sorry to bother you,” added Dorothy, “but really we are -starving. We had to throw all our eatables overboard as ballast, you -see.” - -The master of the house did not answer at once, and seemed absorbed in -his reflections. He thoughtfully stroked his long upper lip. “By all -means,” he said at last, very slowly. “Of course! Come in, and make -yourselves as comfortable as you can.” - -The vestibule in which this conversation had taken place opened upon a -hall of moderate size and plainly furnished, where a coal fire was -burning brightly. The host drew aside to let them pass in, and they -began to warm themselves. He looked up, apparently in some inexplicable -perplexity. - -“Where have you come from?” he asked. - -“From London,” Trevelyan answered. “Is there any way of going back -to-night? By-the-bye, where are we?” - -“You’re in Yorkshire, and the nearest station is Hamley, six miles from -here.” - -“By Jove!” ejaculated Jocelyn, on learning that he was not forty miles -from King’s Follitt. “What’s the last train to York?” - -“Eight thirty-seven,” answered the host, and he looked at his watch. -“It’s almost that now. No train before to-morrow morning, I’m sorry to -say. You’re nearly five miles from any other house, too.” - -Then Lady Dorothy Wynne, who had a sweet low voice, turned it to its -most persuasive tone. “I’m very, very sorry,” she said, “but I’m afraid -we shall have to trespass on your kindness still further, and ask -shelter for the night.” - -Again the master of the house stroked his upper lip with a thoughtful -expression before answering. His reluctance to offer any hospitality to -the dripping party was quite apparent, and he looked at the waiting -footman, who looked at him. - -From far away the sound of voices, talking and laughing, reached the -hall in the silence that followed Dorothy’s speech. Clearly there was a -large party at dinner. - -“By all means! Of course!” The host used the very words he had used -before. “I can certainly put you up, though I’ve rather a large party in -the house. Never mind; there is always room for more. John, call Mrs. -Williams.” - -During the footman’s absence Trevelyan thought it was at last time to -introduce the party. “My name is Trevelyan,” he said. “This is Lady -Dorothy Wynne, and this is my sister.” - -“My name is Follitt,” said Jocelyn, speaking for himself. - -The man’s peculiar eyes turned from one face to the other as he heard -the names, and nodded slightly. A tamer might inspect a new set of wild -beasts with much the same look while making up his mind how to treat -each. “My name is Steele,” he answered. “I hope you will soon be none -the worse for your wetting.” - -The arrival of Mrs. Williams at this juncture rendered an answer -unnecessary. She looked half a governess and half a housekeeper; she was -a quiet, superior sort of person, with a stiff starched collar and -gold-rimmed eye-glasses, and she wore a black silk dress, with a large -bunch of keys at her side. - -Mr. Steele spoke to her very slowly and distinctly. “These ladies and -gentlemen,” he said, “have descended in the grounds with their balloon. -There is no train to-night, as you know, and there is no other place to -which they can go, so they must tarry here till to-morrow morning. There -are still some empty bedrooms, I think?” - -“Three, sir. There are Five, Six, and Seven in the new wing unoccupied.” - -Mr. Steele nodded, and looked at Mrs. Williams, and then at the footman. -Trevelyan was sure that they exchanged a glance of intelligence. - -“You may find my house-party rather mixed,” said the host, almost with -geniality, now that he had at last made up his mind. “The fact is, I -have a sort of gathering of relations and distant connections. I like to -see many people about me, of all ages. You won’t mind dining with us? We -had just sat down when you came, so that there is plenty of time. I -daresay you will be glad to go to bed directly afterwards. You must be -very tired, I’m sure.” - -He said a few words to Mrs. Williams in an undertone, leading the way -with her to the stairs, and she answered by a quick succession of nods. -The others followed, and went up after her, while Mr. Steele went back -to his guests. - -The bedrooms to which the housekeeper showed the party lacked -individuality, and though they were thoroughly comfortable, there was -not the least attempt at luxury, or even good taste. The furniture was -new, but very plain, and the chintz was fresh, but utterly -uninteresting, if not quite hideous. A few cheap prints hung on the -walls. - -“I’m sure there’s no lady of the house,” said Anne to Dorothy, and she -proceeded to extract information from the housekeeper. - -Mr. Steele was not married. He had no near relations--at least, not in -the house; but he liked to be surrounded by many people, and the place -was generally full. Mrs. Williams would say no more, or possibly there -was nothing more to be said; but she did her best to make the newcomers -comfortable, and produced dry skirts and shoes for the ladies. - -A few minutes later they were all ushered into the dining-room, where at -least five-and-twenty men were seated at a big table. All turned their -heads and looked curiously at the newly-arrived guests. - -Mr. Steele rose to meet the latter as they entered. There were four -vacant places on his left. - -“Will you and Miss Trevelyan sit together by me,” he said, speaking to -Lady Dorothy, “and the two gentlemen beyond?” - -The arrangement seemed a singular one; but the four took their seats, -and as Jocelyn slipped in next to Anne, her brother was the only one who -found himself beside a stranger. - -He glanced at his neighbour, who was a mild-eyed, benevolent old -gentleman, whose smooth grey hair was neatly parted and brushed over his -ears. He wore a single stud with a large carbuncle set in it, and he had -black silk mittens on his bony little hands. He returned Trevelyan’s -glance pleasantly, and then went on eating his fish with a faint smile. - -Mr. Steele began to talk with Lady Dorothy, and though his voice was not -loud, it seemed to dominate the conversation as far as she was -concerned, so that she heard no one else. - -“May I ask if Mr. and Miss Trevelyan are connected with the Dorsetshire -family of that name?” he inquired, after a few preliminary phrases. - -“They are the Dorsetshire Trevelyans themselves,” answered Lady Dorothy. -“He is the eldest son.” - -“Oh, indeed--indeed,” repeated Mr. Steele, thoughtfully. “Thank you,” he -added quietly; “it was mere curiosity. Do you go in for any sport -besides ballooning? Golf, for instance? We have excellent links here, -and we play a good deal.” He spoke louder, and looked down the table. -“Mr. Weede over there is one of our crack players.” - -At this remark a pale young clergyman in spectacles, who sat at the -other end of the table, looked up with a deprecatory smile. - -“You will make me vain of my poor accomplishment, if you say such -things,” he said humbly. “Remember the Preacher, Mr. Steele: ‘Vanity of -vanities, all is not vanity that glitters!’” - -Lady Dorothy laughed kindly in an encouraging way, because he seemed so -humble. But every one at once began to talk of golf, almost excitedly. - -“My friends are almost all very fond of out-of-door games,” said Mr. -Steele to Lady Dorothy, as if in explanation. - -“Do you mind telling me who that good-looking man is?” she asked. “The -third from the other end on the left? The one with the grey moustache -and a tired face, who looks like an old soldier.” - -“Trevelyan is his name, and he is an old army man. But do tell me -something about your trip,” Mr. Steele went on quickly: “you must have -had a terrible time of it in such a storm.” - -“It wasn’t very successful,” the young girl answered carelessly; “but we -get used to all sorts of weather in balloons, you know. The last time I -was up, we came down rather suddenly in a cricket field where there was -a match going on. I remember that I got some most extraordinary bruises! -I can’t help looking at that man--Mr. Trevelyan, you say he is. I see -why you asked about my friend here--they may be connections. Where does -this one belong?” - -“He’s a Lincolnshire man,” answered the host briefly, and as if he did -not care about him. - -“Oh, the ‘mad’ Trevelyans, we call them! Then he is really a connection -of my friend. Their grandfathers were cousins, I believe. What is this -one’s first name?” - -“Randolph, I believe. I’ve never made an ascent in a balloon. I should -really like to know whether it’s a new sensation worth trying. Do you -mind telling me how it struck you, the first time you rose above a -cloud?” - -“Cosy,” Lady Dorothy answered without hesitation--“distinctly cosy! -There’s never any tiresome wind in a balloon, you know, as there is on a -yacht, to blow you about. It goes along with you, and it’s so amusing to -travel very fast and yet not feel that you are moving at all. And -there’s always some excitement when you come down, for it’s never twice -alike, and of course bones are only bones after all, and you always may -break one or two. I suppose that’s where the sport comes in.” - -At this moment a distant peal of thunder was heard above the general -conversation. Lady Dorothy looked at her host, as if expecting him to -say something in answer to her explanations; but his expression had -changed, and he seemed suddenly preoccupied. - -“I’m glad we’re not in the balloon now,” she said. “The gale is going -to end in a regular thunderstorm!” - -Mr. Steele was speaking to the butler in a low voice. “Have those -curtains drawn closer,” Lady Dorothy heard him say, “and be quick as you -can with the rest of the dinner!” - -It was clear that either he, or some of his guests, were nervous about -thunder and lightning. A second peal, much nearer than the first, made -the windows rattle. The conversation, which had already dropped to a -lower key, now ceased altogether, and a sort of embarrassed silence -followed, while most of the diners glanced nervously round the room and -towards the tall windows. Mr. Steele looked as if he were bracing -himself to meet an unexpected danger; his brows were knitted, his stern -mouth was tightly shut, and he was evidently scanning the faces of his -guests with anxiety. - -“Do you often have bad thunderstorms here?” Lady Dorothy asked, to -attract his attention and break the silence. - -“Seldom,” he answered abstractedly, and not looking at her. “Most of my -guests dislike them very much.” - -“How very odd!” - -She glanced down the table, and saw the nice-looking Mr. Trevelyan -leaning far back in his chair, his eyes half closed and his face very -white. - -Mr. Steele made an attempt to revive the conversation, talking in loud -tones to the whole table about a lawn tennis tournament, for which he -said there would be a number of pretty prizes. - -Bob Trevelyan was eating steadily, and took no interest in what was -going on. Suddenly he felt that the benevolent old gentleman was -plucking at his sleeve very quietly. He turned, and saw that his -neighbour was earnestly gazing at him. At that moment a third peal rang -out, and the glasses on the table trembled. - -“Did he tell you who I am?” asked the old gentleman in an undertone, and -bending his head towards the master of the house. - -“I beg your pardon: no--I don’t think I was introduced,” Bob answered. - -“He would have told you that I am Mr. Simpson; and so I was,” said the -grey-haired man. “But that,” he added in low and tragic tones, “was by -another mother. I am the Dowager Empress of China, and I am here -incognito, disguised as a man.” - -“What in the world do you mean?” asked Trevelyan, very much taken -aback. - -“It is a sad story, and a long one.” The old gentleman shook his head -mysteriously. “They thought I took too active a part in politics. -Possibly I did, but at the time of the Boxer riots many outrageous -doings were unjustly traced to me. I give you my solemn assurance, on -the word of an empress, that I did not order the attack on the -Legations! Do you believe me, or not?” - -He gazed at Bob with fixed eyes, but Trevelyan could only stare back in -blank surprise. - -“They brought me here in tea chests,” he continued earnestly, “disguised -as a Chinese idol. It was a terrible humiliation. The Empress-mother in -Pekin, who gives audiences, is a painted doll with a gramophone inside -her, which quite accounts for her remarkably accurate memory.” - -Mr. Steele overheard this singular statement. “Really, Mr. Simpson,” he -said in stern tones, “I must beg you not to poke fun at Mr. Trevelyan.” - -“Trevelyan!” cried the nice-looking man at the other end, bending -forward in his chair to see Bob’s face. “Did you say Trevelyan?” - -“Yes,” Bob answered, also leaning forward--“that’s my name. Why?” - -“It’s mine too,” answered the other excitedly. “Are you Dorset or -Lincolnshire?” - -“Dorsetshire,” Bob answered promptly. - -Every one was listening now, and Mr. Steele seemed very anxious, to -judge by his face. - -“If you were a Lincolnshire Trevelyan I’d break your neck directly after -dinner,” observed the nice-looking man, and he suddenly grew calm -again, and seemed to take no further interest in Bob. - -The latter began to understand; and when the Empress of China suddenly -dissolved in tears and repeated that hers was a very, very sad story, he -had no doubts left as to where he and his friends were. - -At this point the Rev. Mr. Weede pointed a thin finger at Lady Dorothy, -and addressed the company in pulpit tones. “Providence,” he said, “in -its inscrutable wisdom, has been pleased to afflict our dear sister with -the delusion that she entered these consecrated precincts in a balloon. -The prayers of the congregation are requested for--” - -“Mr. Weede,” cried Mr. Steele in ringing tones, “I must insist that you -do not indulge in jests unworthy of a gentleman and not befitting your -cloth!” - -The young golfing clergyman smiled blandly, quite unabashed, and -answered in a single syllable, sharp and clear--“Fore!” - -At this wholly unexpected and irrelevant retort, Anne Trevelyan broke -into a laugh. - -“One to the parson!” observed Jocelyn in an undertone. - -Things might have ended then, but at this moment an old gentleman with a -very beautiful white beard and smooth snowy hair began to sing to -himself a music-hall song of forty years ago in a thin and quavering -tenor voice: - - “Up in a balloon, boys, up in a balloon, - All among the little stars, sailing round the moon!” - -“Silence!” roared Mr. Steele from the head of the table. - -The old gentleman broke down under the rebuke, and began to weep -piteously. - -“I know my voice isn’t what it was,” he whined, between his sobs--“when -I used to sing the late Mr. Gladstone to sleep, after his great -speeches--‘Lullaby baby, on the tree-top.’” - -He began to sing again, through his tears. - -Mr. Steele struck the table with his fist. - -“Stop that immediately!” he shouted. “Lady Dorothy--Miss Trevelyan,” he -continued, in the silence that followed, “I don’t know what you must -think! The thunderstorm is to blame----” - -At that moment the howling squall broke open the window at the other end -of the room, and a clap of thunder followed instantly. The shaded -candles on the table were almost all out, and only a few electric lights -illuminated the scene of indescribable panic and confusion that followed -a second later. - -[Illustration: “A scene of indescribable panic followed.”] - -“Fire! Fire! Save the child!” yelled old Randolph Trevelyan above the -noise. - -Chairs were overturned, shrieks of laughter and wailing sobs filled the -air, men rushed wildly hither and thither, falling over each other and -rolling on the floor; the dismal, long-drawn howl of a famished wolf -pierced the babel of sounds, and a heavy man, running round the room on -all fours, stumbled against Lady Dorothy’s feet, and lay there in a -heap, suddenly silent. But still above all the rest rang Randolph -Trevelyan’s despairing yells: “Save the child! Save the child! I’ll give -you ten thousand pounds if you can save the child!” - -Bob Trevelyan had Lady Dorothy fast by the wrist. Jocelyn held Anne -Trevelyan by the waist close against him, and she did not feel at all -frightened; but it is true that she was naturally courageous. - -“I believe we’re in a mad-house!” cried Lady Dorothy; but only Bob heard -her through the noise, and she laughed rather nervously. - -“Come along!” Trevelyan called out to Jocelyn. - -They made for the nearest door at once. Mr. Steele had picked up the -young man who thought he was a wolf, and was holding him firmly. The -numerous servants, who were trained men, were already leading the most -noisy of the party towards another door. Old Trevelyan’s wild yells rent -the air as he was carried off: “The child! The child!” - -None of the four aëronauts ever forgot the cry, repeated in -heart-rending tones, almost without a break. They heard it after they -had left the dining-room, but when they had got to the foot of the -staircase it ceased suddenly. - -They reached their rooms, high up in the new wing. Each of the young -girls had one to herself, and the two men were to sleep in the third. -But in their haste they all four rushed into the last; Bob turned up the -electric light and Jocelyn locked the door. - -“A lunatic asylum!” laughed Anne. “Of all places to come down in! You -told me it was,” she added, speaking to Jocelyn, “but it seemed so -absurd that I couldn’t believe it.” - -“And our cousin Randolph is the showpiece, poor chap,” said Bob. - -Lady Dorothy and Jocelyn looked at him, expecting more. - -“What happened to his child?” asked Dorothy. - -“I was going to ask the same question,” said Jocelyn. - -“It was burnt to death. It’s rather an awful story, and I don’t wonder -he went mad. I believe he had only been married two or three years when -it happened. He was in the Carabineers, I believe; at all events they -went to India as soon as they were married, and it was while they were -there that his father died and he came into the estate. But he did not -mean to leave the service, and he sent his wife to England with the -little baby, six months before the regiment was ordered home. Half an -hour before he got to his place, when he came home himself, the house -took fire, and his wife and child were burnt to death. He went mad then -and there, and there was nothing to be done but to lock him up.” - -“How awful!” exclaimed Dorothy. “I shall never forget his voice.” - -The four were silent, and as nothing happened Jocelyn unlocked the door -and opened it a little. In the distance sounds of footsteps could still -be heard in the passages, and the opening and shutting of a door now and -then, and voices from different directions, but that was all. The -patients who occupied the nearest rooms were either already locked in, -or were of a quieter sort and had been allowed to stay downstairs. - -Jocelyn was just going to shut the door again, when Mrs. Williams -appeared. He admitted her, and she looked round quietly before speaking. - -“Of course, you must have understood where you are,” she said gravely. -“This is a private asylum--Dr. Steele’s Sanatorium. The patients who are -considered harmless play games and dine together, and the Doctor takes -none who are already violent or have shown homicidal or suicidal -tendencies. It is a very exclusive establishment, especially for -gentlemen of position and means. I may say that I was housekeeper at the -late Duke of Barchester’s before I came here. The Doctor wishes me to -say how sorry he is that there was trouble just this evening. Lunatics -don’t mind anything so much as a thunderstorm, and thunder and lightning -just drive them out of their poor senses, such as they are, which isn’t -much to boast of. There’s that poor Mr. Weede, for instance, such a -quiet gentleman, and a Christian soul if ever there was one. They never -knew he was at all queer till one day, while he was preaching, he just -stopped a minute and called out ‘Fore!’ as the gentlemen do when they -play; and then he went on preaching about golf being the only salvation -for sinners’ souls, till the congregation all ran out and the sexton -and policeman got him into a cab, still preaching.” - -“Something like a sermon, that,” observed Jocelyn stolidly. - -“Yes, sir,” answered Mrs. Williams gravely; “they say he was at it for -more than half an hour, and hadn’t half finished when they took him -away. But I came to say,” she went on, speaking to Bob Trevelyan, “that -the Doctor would like to speak to you alone, sir, if you don’t mind. He -will come to your room, or see you in his study, as you prefer, but he -is very anxious to see you.” - -“It must be about cousin Randolph,” Bob said, glancing at his sister. -“I’ll go to the Doctor’s study, Mrs. Williams, if you’ll show me the -way.” - -“Very good, sir. I’ll be back directly,” she added, “to see that the -ladies have everything quite comfortable for the night.” - -Trevelyan followed the housekeeper through many passages and down a good -many stairs, till she brought him to the door of Dr. Steele’s study and -knocked, and then opened the door for him to go in. - -The Doctor was standing before the fire; when he saw Bob he came forward -and moved a comfortable chair into position while he spoke. - -“I’m sorry to trouble you,” he said, “but I am so placed that I think it -is my duty to ask your advice in a very important matter.” - -Trevelyan smiled pleasantly, and sat down. - -“If it’s my advice you want, I warn you that I’m not thought clever,” he -said. “Unless it’s about balloons.” - -Dr. Steele’s face was very grave, and he paid no attention to what Bob -said. - -“I understood at dinner that you were a distant cousin of Sir Randolph -Trevelyan’s,” he said. “I am sorry to say that he is just dead.” - -“Dead! How awfully sudden!” - -The poor man’s despairing cry still rang in Bob’s ears. - -“He had an aneurism of the heart,” Dr. Steele explained, “and this last -attack killed him. He fell dead as he reached the door of his room. I -have two good physicians in residence here, and they came at once. He -was quite dead.” - -“I’m exceedingly sorry to hear it,” Bob said gravely; “but I don’t quite -see how I can be of use. I’m not his heir. There are several of the -Lincolnshire people alive.” - -“Precisely. But do you know his story?” - -“Of course. His wife and child were burnt to death, and he went mad.” - -“That is not the point,” answered Dr. Steele. “They found the mother’s -body, or what was left of it, but they found no trace of the child.” - -“Poor little thing! It was probably burnt to ashes. There was nothing to -find!” - -“I’m not sure. There is a possibility that it may have been kidnapped, -for you may remember that the house was found to have been set on fire -by thieves, who got away with a large quantity of valuables in the -confusion, and afterwards wrote to the family, offering to produce the -child for a ransom of five thousand pounds. Sir Randolph had been in -India and had not seen the baby for many months, and he was already in -an asylum, and much worse than when you saw him this evening, before -the thunderstorm. Babies a year old are very much alike, he could not -have recognised his daughter, a large estate was involved, and a -lunatic’s evidence is worth nothing, of course. The relations declared -that none of them had ever seen the infant, and as a recognition was out -of the question, their counsel advised them to pay no attention to the -blackmailers. Thieves would be quite capable of producing a child as the -heir, and of keeping some hold on it, in order to extract more blackmail -when it grew up. Do you understand?” - -“Perfectly. I’m inclined to think that the heirs did right, though it -was to their own future advantage.” - -“No doubt. But within the last few weeks the situation has changed. I am -morally persuaded that Sir Randolph’s daughter is alive and well, and -that at the present moment, since her father is dead, she is the sole -heir to the great Lincolnshire estate.” - -“By Jove!” cried Bob. “That’s interesting. Of course I’ll help her to -get her own in any way I can! Where is she? And how are you sure she’s -the right baby?” - -“It’s just a common criminal story. The baby had a nurse, of course, and -she was no better than she should be. The leader of the gang that burnt -and robbed the house had begun operations by establishing himself in the -village as a travelling photographer with a van. He had a proper license -for the van, and took very good photographs, and he got permission from -Lady Trevelyan to make a series of views of the park and the house. By -way of strengthening his position he made love to the nurse, and she -became his accomplice, and shared the profits afterwards. But she was -soft-hearted about children, and insisted that the baby should not run -any risk. She handed it over to the photographer-burglar just before the -house was set on fire. That’s the story.” - -“How do you know it’s true?” - -“Simple enough. Being a born criminal, she afterwards committed other -crimes, and was at last caught and sent to penal servitude. And now she -is dying of cancer, and has ‘experienced religion,’ as those people call -it, and has confessed the whole story to the chaplain, who has written -about it to me. For she had always kept track of Sir Randolph, and knew -that he had been brought here some years ago.” - -“But what proof is there that she is telling the truth?” - -“This. Before she parted with the baby, she broke a sixpence in two, -sewed half of it into the baby’s clothes and kept the other half.” - -“But the clothes must have disappeared long ago!” - -“No: they didn’t. When the thieves found that they could not get any -ransom, they left the baby on the doorstep of an old bachelor in -Kensington, who took care of it and ultimately adopted it. I suppose he -is a sentimental person, for he kept the clothes in which he found the -child, and, what is more, he has now discovered the half-sixpence sewn -up in the little frock, just where the dying woman says it was.” - -“Jolly good luck for the girl! Where is she?” - -“She goes by the name of Ellen Scott, and is governess in Colonel -Follitt’s family here in Yorkshire.” - -“Miss Scott! Why, I saw her at King’s - -[Illustration: “‘Miss Scott! Why, I saw her at King’s Follitt a month -ago.’”] - -Follitt a month ago! And young Follitt, who is with us, is one of the -Colonel’s younger sons. He can tell you all about her.” - -“It’s a singular coincidence, to say the least,” answered Dr. Steele, -“but I know more about Miss Scott at present than she knows herself. In -communicating with her adoptive father I have begged him not to let her -know anything till all is quite certain; but it will be impossible to -conceal the facts from her any longer, since Sir Randolph is dead. The -relations, who believe themselves the heirs, must be informed that his -daughter has been found and will claim the estate. They must know that -as soon as they know of his death, and I cannot put off writing to -them.” - -“What can I do?” inquired Bob. - -“Do you know any of your Lincolnshire relations?” - -“Yes, I fancy I know most of them. They’ll show fight, you may be sure.” - -“Perhaps, if you explained the case to them, and showed them these -copies of the more important documents, they would change their minds. -Sir Randolph’s solicitors have been very active. We have the sworn -evidence of the woman, who is still alive, and of Mr. Herbert Scott as -to the date when the infant was left on his doorstep, and he has -produced the baby’s frock, with the half-sixpence sewn up in the hem, -and the woman has sworn to that also. Besides, the handwriting of the -letters written to the family after the fire, offering to give up the -child for a ransom, has been declared by experts to be that of the -travelling photographer, of whose writing several specimens have been -found in the village, on the backs of photographs he sold. There is -also evidence that he disappeared on the night of the fire, leaving his -van and all his belongings. In fact, everything was ready, and Sir -Randolph’s solicitors were about to begin proceedings to establish Miss -Ellen Scott’s identity as Diana Trevelyan.” - -“Nice name,” observed Bob. - -“Very. Are you inclined, as a member of the family, to run over to -Lincolnshire and lay the case before your cousins? If they can be -persuaded to give up their claim without a suit, a vast amount of money -will be saved--and it can only end in one way, I can assure you. There’s -not a link missing.” - -“All right,” answered Trevelyan. “Who are poor Randolph’s solicitors? I -shall have to know the name and address.” - -Dr. Steele handed him the neat package of copies that lay tied up on the -desk. The lawyer’s name was stamped on the outside of the first paper. - -“I suppose I had better say nothing to my sister and our friends?” said -Bob in a tone of interrogation. - -“I think not. Miss Scott should be informed by the solicitors.” - -“She’ll have a surprise,” observed Bob, thinking of the blotched face -and red nose of the pimping governess he had seen at King’s Follitt. -“I’ll just tell my party that you wanted to inform me of poor Randolph’s -death.” - -“Precisely. That will explain our interview.” - -So that was the end of the ballooning adventure. After thanking Dr. -Steele very warmly for his hospitality the party left on the following -morning, the balloon having been duly packed and carted to the station -and put on the London train. - -It will be clear to the most simple-minded reader that the descent of -the party in the grounds of the asylum was not the grand incident which -really led to the identification of Miss Scott by establishing the -long-sought link in the evidence. That would have been thrilling, of -course; but such things do not happen in real life, and when they do -people do not believe they do. The simple result of the coincidence was -that Bob Trevelyan took the affair in hand, and managed it so that it -was all settled very quickly and out of court, which saved ever so much -time and money, to the great disappointment of several solicitors. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -Lady Jane Follitt had last seen the balloon driving through rain-clouds -at dusk, somewhere between Peterborough and York. It had not been nearly -such good sport as she had anticipated, for the breeze had been light -during the early part of the afternoon, and she had been obliged to go -slowly in order not to outrun the aëronauts, and when they had begun to -travel faster it had grown dark, and she could not see them even with -her searchlight! She made up her mind that there was nothing in -ballooning after all, and she was wet and tired when she got back to -London late at night, and found Claude and her husband waiting for her. -The Colonel talked of going down to King’s Follitt the next day. - -“And leave me here to do my shopping alone?” said Lady Jane indignantly. -“Not much! We’ll go down in the motor on Thursday, if you don’t mind.” - -She had almost always done her shopping alone, but that did not matter. -When she said “if you don’t mind” in that tone, the mild Colonel knew -his place and did his duty. - -Claude’s match was not over yet, and he must stay in town another day; -Jocelyn was with the Trevelyans, and was hardly likely to get home for -twenty-four hours or more; but the Colonel was at leisure, and could not -be allowed to go home alone in order to make love to Miss Scott. Lady -Jane had never felt any anxiety about Lionel, because he knew the -governess’s father, and had been just as kind to her when she was -hideous. - -So he and Ellen had another day to themselves, and though she hardly let -the girls go out of her sight, the two had plenty of opportunity of -talking together. The result of their confabulations was that Ellen was -to do her best to get away from King’s Follitt with Lady Jane’s consent, -but that if she did not succeed within a fortnight Lionel should tell -his mother that he intended to marry the girl, and if there was a -terrible fuss, then it could not be helped, that was all. Ellen, on -mature consideration, made up her mind that it would be cowardly to run -away, but that she would leave after the inevitable interview with the -infuriated Lady Jane. - -That was what they both thought best, after long consideration, and they -made up their minds to do it. - -Herbert Scott was determined that his adopted child should not suffer a -bitter disappointment after her expectations had been raised to the -highest pitch, and he accordingly took care that no hint of what was -coming should reach her, till all was settled beyond any possibility of -failure--at least, if that could be managed. His sense of humour, too, -was delighted by the prospect of the surprise which the change in her -prospects would produce in the Follitt household, accompanied as it -would be by the announcement of her long-standing engagement to Lionel. -But after all, the excellent Mr. Scott himself could not quite believe -that a noble estate and a good old name had been the rightful dowry of -the poor little doorstep baby he had taken in so long ago. His only fear -for the future had been lest her own father should become sane again, -as suddenly as he had gone mad, and claim his daughter; and when Dr. -Steele wrote him that old Trevelyan was dead, Herbert Scott made -incomprehensible observations aloud to himself in several oriental -dialects, not one of them expressive of regret. - -Things did not turn out exactly as he expected. Lady Jane and the -Colonel came home in due time, when the shopping in London was done. -Claude returned in a very good humour from the cricket-match, for -Yorkshire had won and he himself had brought up his average; but he went -off almost immediately to ride the promised steeplechase. Jocelyn came -back one morning, rather silent and uncommunicative, to claim the fifty -pounds he had won of Lionel, and immediately departed again, saying that -he would write. He said something about having been in a madhouse, which -the others took for chaff. - -Therefore, when the crisis came the two younger sons were not at home, -and it happened in this way: the Colonel lost his head, Lady Jane lost -her temper, Lionel lost his patience, and Miss Scott lost her position -as governess. - -There was no doubt about Colonel Follitt’s admiration for the once -Undesirable One. He talked to her at table, he brought her books from -the library, he accidentally found himself in the way when she passed; -and one day he announced his intention of going for a walk with her and -his two daughters, as Lionel had done several times. - -“That you shall not do!” said Lady Jane with severity. - -“Why not, my dear?” asked her mild husband. - -“It’s not decent,” answered Lady Jane with disgust. “I won’t have it!” - -“Really!” cried the Colonel, with polite surprise. “If a man cannot walk -out with his own daughters----” - -“Not with Miss Scott. Thank goodness, I still have some authority! The -idea of such a thing! Besides, it’s growing on you. When vice doesn’t -disappear it always grows worse with old age.” - -“Old age, indeed!” The Colonel was mildly indignant. - -“Now, that Miss Kirk,” Lady Jane exclaimed, not heeding him, “at least -she was pretty. No one ever denied that, I suppose. Well, that was some -excuse; but it’s positively disgusting to see a man of sixty----” - -“Fifty-five,” interrupted the Colonel. - -“--of nearly fifty-six devoting himself to a miserable, dowdy little rat -of a London governess, who came here with a blotchy face and a hump on -one shoulder, and her hair drawn back like a skinned rabbit’s!” - -“Dear me!” exclaimed the Colonel, with exasperating mildness. - -“And besides,” Lady Jane concluded, sticking up her aristocratic nose in -wrath, “she’s distinctly plebeian!” - -“I’m sorry, mother, but you’re quite mistaken,” said Lionel, looking up -from his paper, and bending his brows. “She talks just as we do, and -nobody could possibly tell that she didn’t belong to our set.” - -Lady Jane stared at her eldest son in surprise. They were all three in -the mess-room after luncheon. “My dear Lionel,” she retorted, with -pitying scorn, “if you don’t know a lady when you see one, I really -can’t teach you the difference, can I?” - -“Miss Scott is a lady in every way,” Lionel answered, with a good deal -of emphasis, and fixing his eyes on his mother’s in an odd way. - -“Good heaven!” cried Lady Jane. “I believe you’re another of her -victims!” - -“I am going to marry Miss Scott in June,” Lionel said, rising suddenly, -and looking down at her and his father--for he was very tall. - -“What?” cried Lady Jane, her jaw dropping. - -“What?” cried the Colonel, no longer mild. - -And the walls of the mess-room echoed “what” in the name of the absent -members of the family. - -“Are you quite mad?” asked Lady Jane, breathless in her amazed surprise. - -“Impudent puppy!” the Colonel cried, getting red in the face. “My dear, -the girl must leave the house this instant!” - -“I’ll send for her and tell her so at once!” - -“It’s not of the least use to get so excited,” said Lionel, calmly -sitting down and taking up his paper again. “We shall be married in -June, and there’s nothing more to be said.” - -Thereupon he appeared to go on reading, without paying any more -attention to his father and mother. - -“This is monstrous!” Lady Jane was beside herself. “Lionel!” She came -and stood beside his chair. “You’re not in earnest! This is some silly -attempt at a joke!” - -“Drop it, my boy!” cried the Colonel, taking the cue from his wife. - -“I’m not joking.” Lionel looked up quietly. “You’ll be very fond of her -some day, when you get over the idea that she’s been governess to the -girls. Really, there’s nothing to be said. I made up my mind long ago; -and as the estate is entailed you can’t even cut me off with a shilling! -Happily, you are quite powerless, for we can live very comfortably on my -five hundred a year.” - -Lady Jane glared, and the Colonel put on that singularly disagreeable -expression which has come into use amongst Englishmen since they gave up -swearing as a means of showing what they are thinking about. It is a -particularly unpleasant look, and bodes evil when it appears. - -“Miss Scott will go at once, of course,” Lionel added, as they said -nothing. “I only ask you not to be rude to her.” - -“As if one could be rude to a governess!” cried Lady Jane, stalking off -with her head in the air and going out. - -“All that Sanskrit stuff has gone to your head, my boy,” said the -Colonel, following her. - -Lady Jane went to her morning room and rang the bell. Her hand trembled -a little. “Ask Miss Scott to come to me before going out with the young -ladies,” she said to the footman. - -Ellen lost no time in answering the summons, and appeared dressed for -walking, and wearing a plain grey felt hat, which happened to be very -becoming. As soon as she entered, she saw that Lady Jane was in a rage, -and guessed that it concerned her. - -“My son has just given me to understand that he has--er--agreed to marry -you. What have you to say to this amazing statement?” - -Miss Scott looked much taller than usual, and held her head quite as -high as Lady Jane herself; but she answered very quietly, and almost -gently. “Yes,” she said, “it’s quite true. That’s all I have to say.” - -“And you have the assurance to tell me so to my face?” cried Lady Jane. - -“Oh, yes, since it’s true,” answered the young girl sweetly. - -“It’s not to be believed!” - -Lady Jane’s face was as hard as a portrait done in enamel; her eyes -glittered like pale sapphires, and she began to walk up and down the -room, looking straight in front of her. - -“I’m afraid you must believe it, unless your son changes his mind,” said -Miss Scott with great gentleness. - -“Oh, he shall change his mind! Never fear! A governess! There are laws -to prevent such things--I’m sure there are!” - -“And a foundling, too,” said Ellen, more sweetly than ever. “I’m sure -you will think that makes it much worse,” she added, as Lady Jane -stopped suddenly in her walk and glared at her. “Yes, I was left on Mr. -Scott’s doorstep early one morning when I was a baby, and he adopted me -and gave me his name, and called me Ellen. It’s rather dreadful, isn’t -it?” - -“Dreadful! It’s vile, the way you have played on his feelings in secret -and led him to this! But, thank Heaven, he is my son. He must have some -sense, somewhere!” - -“He has a great deal,” said Miss Scott, unmoved. “I’m sure of it.” - -“If anything could make matters worse, it is your brazen assurance,” -cried Lady Jane, beside herself. “There is no reason why I should put up -with it another moment, and I shall expect you to leave the house in an -hour. Do you understand?” - -“I was going to ask your leave to do so,” answered Ellen; “for the -truth is, I have some very urgent business in town, and my solicitors -have written begging me to come at once.” - -Lady Jane’s face assumed an expression of blank astonishment. “Your -solicitors! What nonsense is this?” - -“In view of the fact that Lionel has told you about our engagement, it -may have some importance--even in your eyes.” - -There was something so extraordinarily calm about the young person’s -manner, that Lady Jane began to take another view of the matter. “I -believe you must be an escaped lunatic,” she said with deliberation, and -fixing her cold eyes on the governess’s pretty face. - -But nothing happened; she did not shrink and cower under the glance, as -Lady Jane supposed that an escaped lunatic would, on being found out. - -“Perhaps you would like to see the last letter I have received?” said -Miss Scott. - -Lady Jane hesitated, for it seemed beneath her dignity to prolong the -interview. She would have turned her back on the governess if she had -not been made really curious by her calm and dignified manner, and by -her allusion to “solicitors.” Just then, too, it occurred to the injured -matron that the girl might have committed some offence for which she was -to be tried, and that the “solicitors” were those whom her adopted -father had engaged for the defence. This was ingenious, if it was -nothing else. Lady Jane, who was both very angry and at the same time -very curious, suddenly contracted her eyelids, as if she were -short-sighted, and held her head higher than ever. “I am willing to -look at the letter,” she said, “on the mere chance that it may show -your--er--atrocious conduct--in a somewhat less--er--unfavourable -light!” - -Miss Scott smiled sweetly, and produced a large envelope from the inside -of her coat--for, being a governess, she possessed a pocket. She handed -the paper to Lady Jane, who saw at a glance that it was a genuine -solicitor’s letter, from a highly respectable firm of whom she had often -heard. The envelope was addressed to “Miss Ellen Scott,” but when Lady -Jane took out and unfolded the contents, she saw that they were -addressed to “Miss Diana Trevelyan.” - -“Trevelyan?” she cried angrily. “Diana Trevelyan? What absurdity is -this? What have you to do with any Diana Trevelyan, pray?” - -[Illustration: “‘You? The daughter of Sir Randolph? You’re mad!’”] - -“It’s me,” Miss Scott answered patiently, in a small voice. - -“You?” Lady Jane’s eyes glittered and glared again. - -“Yes. I was a doorstep baby, as I told you; and now they’ve found out at -last that I am Diana Trevelyan, the only child of Sir Randolph, who died -in an insane asylum a few days ago.” - -“You? The daughter of Sir Randolph? You’re mad!” - -“No, I’m not mad, though my father was. If you will only read the -letter, you will understand. You see, all his Lincolnshire estates come -to me, so it makes rather a difference, doesn’t it?” - -“Rather a difference!” - -No words could describe Lady Jane’s tone as she repeated the words. At -the mere thought that, instead of speaking out her irate mind to a poor -little governess with whom her son had been silly enough to fall in -love, she had been railing at Miss Diana Trevelyan, a charming girl and -an heiress, quite as good as herself, and the most desirable -daughter-in-law she could wish for, she suddenly got red in the face, -and buried herself in the documents, in which she presently became -absorbed. - -As she read the wonderful story, and learned that the other Lincolnshire -Trevelyans had thought it best not to question Ellen’s right--or -Diana’s--her wrath subsided, and joy rose in its place, as it would in -any mother’s heart, over what could only be a genuine love match, though -it had turned out so vastly advantageous. At last she folded the many -sheets together and put them back into the envelope, which she held in -one hand while she covered her eyes with the other for a moment. “I -don’t quite know what to say,” she said simply, and then looked up with -a rather shy smile. “I was awfully nasty, I know. I’m sure you would -have been a very good wife to Lionel without a name or a fortune, my -dear. I can’t imagine why it seemed so dreadful to me five minutes ago! -I was quite stupidly angry, and you must forgive me, please. You will, -won’t you?” - -She was almost pathetic in her defeat, though she was quite ridiculous -too, and knew it. - -Ellen laughed gaily. “My dear Lady Jane,” she said, “I’ll forgive you -with all my heart if you’ll only forgive me for something much worse -that I did to you?” - -“I’ll forgive you anything--I’m so happy!” answered the elder woman, -smiling. - -“I’ve been a fairly good governess to the girls, haven’t I?” asked the -young girl. “And well-behaved, too? And if I wanted it, you’d give me a -good character, wouldn’t you? That is, if I hadn’t fallen in love with -your eldest son?” - -“Oh, that wouldn’t have mattered,” said Lady Jane. “It was his falling -in love with you that I couldn’t stand! Of course I would give you a -good character!” - -“Thank you. Now I’ll make my confession. I used to be good at -theatricals, and when I saw your advertisement I made up for the place.” - -“Made up? It was all a sham?” - -Lady Jane started in surprise. - -“The limp was a sham, the hump was a little pillow, the blotches were -liquid rouge, my eyes never wander unless I choose to make them do it, -and I had never worn my hair like that in my life! Can you forgive me -for having cheated you all, when I read your advertisement? I suppose it -was just devilry that made me do it--and I wanted to see more of Lionel, -since we were engaged. After all, I was quite fit for the place, wasn’t -I? All I had to do was to make myself thoroughly undesirable; and I -did!” - -“And to think that I wasted all that good lotion on you!” cried Lady -Jane, laughing. - -She would have thought the whole trick an abominable fraud on the part -of Ellen Scott, but quite entered into the fun of the practical joke, -since it had been played by Miss Diana Trevelyan. After all, she never -made any pretence of being magnanimous or bursting with noble -sentiments. She was just an ordinary woman of the world, and a very good -mother, who had been horrified at the idea that her eldest son should -marry badly, and was delighted to find that he was going to marry well -after all; and let any natural mother who would not feel just as she -did, find fault with her and call her worldly! - -That is the story of that Undesirable Governess they had at King’s -Follitt last year, and it explains why Lionel and Jocelyn were married -on the same day to two Trevelyan girls who were only very distantly -related. In a nice story-book it would of course have been the penniless -younger son who would have married the governess-heiress, and the heir -of King’s Follitt would have married Anne Trevelyan, who was not -particularly well off. But in real life things do not happen in that -way, and yet people are happy just the same--when they are. - -The darker side of the whole affair was that, after Ellen turned into -somebody else, those girls ran perfectly wild, and fell back into their -old ways of poaching and exchanging game for chocolates with the -postman; and they sat up in the King’s Oak by the lodge and peppered the -passing horses on the Malton road with catapults, and potted rooks, and -rode steeplechases in the park on the best horses in the stable; and -they strenuously did all those things which they should have left -undone, to the total exclusion of the other things, till Lady Jane felt -that she was going mad, and it looked as if no one but the matron of a -police station could ever be satisfactory as a governess at King’s -Follitt. - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Undesirable Governess, by F. 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