"Oh, of course he will; he must!" said Harry. "He would never give up now."

Norman further wondered whether Hector would remain on the Stoneborough foundation, and Mary hoped they should not lose him; but there was no great readiness to talk over the event, and there soon was a silence broken by Flora saying, "He is no such nobody, as Louisa Anderson said, when we--"

Another shout, which caused Flora to take refuge in playing waltzes for the rest of the evening. Moreover, to the extreme satisfaction of Mary, she left her crochet-needle on the floor at night. While a tumultuous party were pursuing her with it to claim the penny, and Richard was conveying Margaret upstairs, Ethel found an opportunity of asking her father if he were not very glad of Mr. Ernescliffe's good fortune.

"Yes, very. He is a good fellow, and will make a good use of it."

"And now, papa, does it not make--You won't say now you are sorry he came here."

She had no answer but a sigh, and a look that made her blush for having ventured so far. She was so much persuaded that great events must ensue, that, all the next day, she listened to every ring of the bell, and when one at last was followed by a light, though, to her ears, manly sounding tread, she looked up flushing with expectation.

Behold, she was disappointed. "Miss Walkingham" was announced, and she rose surprised, for the lady in question had only come to Stoneborough for a couple of days with an infirm mother, who, having known Dr. May in old times, had made it her especial request that he would let her see his daughters. She was to proceed on her journey to-day, and the return of the visit had been by no means expected.

Flora went forward to receive her, wondering to see her so young looking, and so unformed. She held out her hand, with a red wrist, and, as far as could be seen under her veil, coloured when presented to the recumbent Margaret. How she got into her chair, they hardly knew, for Flora was at that moment extremely annoyed by hearing an ill-bred peal of Mary's laughter in the garden, close to the window; but she thought it best to appear unconscious, since she had no power to stop it.

Margaret thought the stranger embarrassed, and kindly inquired for Lady Walkingham.

"Much the same, thank you," mumbled a voice down in the throat.

A silence, until Margaret tried another question, equally briefly answered; and, after a short interval, the young lady contrived to make her exit, with the same amount of gaucherie as had marked her entrance.

Expressions of surprise at once began, and were so loud, that when Harry entered the room, his inquiry was, "What's the row?"

"Miss Walkingham," said Ethel, "but you won't understand. She seemed half wild! Worse than me!"

"How did you like the pretty improving manners?" asked Harry.

"Manners! she had none," said Flora. "She, highly connected! used to the best society!"

"How do you know what the best society do?" asked Harry.

"The poor thing seemed very shy," said Margaret.

"I don't know about shyness," said Flora.

"She was stifling a laugh all the time, like a rude schoolboy. And I thought papa said she was pretty!"

"Ay? Did you think her so?" asked Harry.

"A great broad red face--and so awkward!" cried Flora indignantly.

"If one could have seen her face, I think she might have been nice-looking," said Margaret. "She had pretty golden curls, and merry blue eyes, rather like Harry's."

"Umph!" said Flora; "beauty and manners seemed to me much on a par. This is one of papa's swans, indeed!"

"I can't believe it was Miss Walkingham at all," said Ethel. "It must have been some boy in disguise."

"Dear me!" cried Margaret, starting with the painful timidity of helplessness.

"Do look whether anything is gone. Where's the silver inkstand?"

"You don't think she could put that into her pocket," said Ethel, laughing as she held it up.

"I don't know. Do, Harry, see if the umbrellas are safe in the hall. I wish you would, for now I come to remember, the Walkinghams went at nine this morning. Miss Winter said that she saw the old lady helped into the carriage, as she passed." Margaret's eyes looked quite large and terrified. "She must have been a spy--the whole gang will come at night.

I wish Richard was here. Harry, it really is no laughing matter. You had better give notice to the police."

The more Margaret was alarmed, the more Harry laughed. "Never mind, Margaret, I'll take care of you! Here's my dirk. I'll stick all the robbers."

"Harry! Harry! Oh, don't!" cried Margaret, raising herself up in an agony of nervous terror. "Oh, where is papa? Will nobody ring the bell, and send George for the police?"

"Police, police! Thieves! Murder! Robbers! Fire! All hands ahoy!"

shouted Harry, his hands making a trumpet over his mouth.

"Harry, how can you?" said Ethel, hastily; "don't you see that Margaret is terribly frightened. Can't you say at once that it was you?"

"You!" and Margaret sank back, as there was a general outcry of laughter and wonder.

"Did you know it, Ethel?" asked Flora severely.

"I only guessed at this moment," said Ethel. "How well you did it, Harry!"

"Well!" said Flora, "I did think her dress very like Margaret's shot silk. I hope you did not do that any harm."

"But how did you manage?" said Ethel. "Where did your bonnet come from?"

"It was a new one of Adams's wife. Mary got it for me. Come in, Polly, they have found it out. Did you not hear her splitting with laughing outside the window? I would not let her come in for fear she should spoil all."

"And I was just going to give her such a scolding for giggling in the garden," said Flora, "and to say we had been as bad as Miss Walkingham.

You should not have been so awkward, Harry; you nearly betrayed yourself."

"He had nobody to teach him but Mary," said Ethel.

"Ah! you should have seen me at my ease in Minster Street. No one suspected me there."

"In Minster Street. Oh, Harry, you don't really mean it!"

"I do. That was what I did it for. I was resolved to know what the nameless ones said of the Misses May."

Hasty and eager inquiries broke out from Flora and Ethel.

"Oh, Dr. May was very clever, certainly, very clever. Had I seen the daughters? I said I was going to call there, and they said--"

"What, oh, what, Harry?"

"They said Flora was thought pretty, but--and as to Ethel, now, how do you think you came off, Unready?"

"Tell me. They could not say the same of me, at any rate."

"Quite the reverse! They called Ethel very odd, poor girl."