with her thin red hands crossed upon her spotless apron. After a pause, Prudence continued nervously:

'Please tell us why you think that Anne should be afraid of seeing Dr. Pogany ? '

Crump moved restlessly, evading the mild glance of her mistress. Then, crimson with indignation, she replied:

it.'

'Anne's got into trouble. She never told me, but I guessed

'Oh !'

The soft exclamation was compounded of consternation and pity and shame. The ladies' cheeks were pink, their delicate fingers trembled, their eyes, beneath drooping lids, fixed themselves upon the roses of the carpet.

'Poor thing!' murmured Miss Jacqueline, whereat Crump frowned, conscious of a blameless past. And then, to the distress of all three, Rosetta ran into the room. Her quick eyes swooped upon mystery.

'What has happened?' she demanded.

In obedience to a wave of Prudence's hand, Crump left the

room.

'How funny you all look!' said Rosetta. Has Crump just given notice?'

'Sit down, child,' commanded Prudence.

As Rosetta did so, the elder sisters exchanged glances and nods. Each lady knew her own and the other's mind. Each was sensible that whatever the other might do or say would be said and done for the good of the child, who was not unreasonably curious and frighteningly intelligent considering her tender years. Prudence said sharply:

Anne has left this house suddenly, and she will not return to it.'

'But Anne is in bed. I saw her after breakfast.'

'She has left the house.'

'But-why?'

Rosetta asked the question gravely, and for the first time, perhaps, the sisters beheld her as a woman. It flashed into Prudence's mind that here was an opportunity of speaking frankly of things which every woman must know about sooner or later. The truth need not be revealed in its horrid crudity; it would suffice to present it decently garbed, with an allusion to the Fall, and Original Sin. Phrases were forming themselves in Prudence's mind, when she heard Rosetta's innocent voice:

'I am so fond of Anne. She looked so pretty this morning. I kissed her. And she kissed me, and burst into tears; but when I asked her why she cried, she refused to tell me. Of course, she must be in love.'

Prudence said

Miss Jacqueline patted her hand in silence, grateful that the task of explanation fell by right to her sister. nervously:

'You are not altogether mistaken, Rosetta. And you are old enough to know that love, as you call it, does make some women do very odd things.' odd things.' She spoke slowly and distinctly, picking her way as she went, and blinking at Rosetta because she was unable to meet a singularly clear and candid gaze. She continued: At your age, naturally enough, you don't know what love is.'

'But I do,' said Rosetta. I mean,' she added with a laugh, 'I know well enough that love, passionate love '-Miss Mauleverer winced- may drive girls mad. Ophelia, for instance. And I suppose that Hamlet could inspire that sort of madness; but somehow I don't find it as easy to believe that Bert Rockley would have the same effect on Anne.'

'Bert Rockley?'

Anne's young man.'

'You knew that Anne had a young man ?'

Why, of course. She told me all about him. I know every

thing.'

Jacqueline grew pale.

Everything!' she murmured. 'Why do you say "Heavens?

'Heavens!'

I've never been in love myself, not properly, but I imagine that the first thing is to have a sympathetic soul to talk things over with. Anne couldn't talk to you two darlings, now could she?'

As the sisters made no reply Rosetta continued eagerly:

'And you couldn't call poor old Crump a sympathetic soul? And cook is quite impossible, except as a cook. So you see there was nobody but me.'

'What did Anne tell you?'

'She told me that she loved Bert and that he loved her, and that he would lose his job if he married her. Bert is not beautiful, and, as I say, I can't understand poor dear Anne going mad about him; for, if she can't marry him, she must be quite cracked to leave us. But lately she has been rather funny with

me-not herself at all. Do you mean to say that she's left with

out giving notice? '

'Yes.'

'And forfeited her wages?'

'Probably.'

'She must be mad.'

'You are right, child; that is the most charitable interpretation to place upon her conduct.'

'Her misconduct,' amended Jacqueline.

Prudence took the hint as delicately as her Persian cat would have taken a morsel of fish from her hand.

'Yes, misconduct. You must understand, Rosetta, that Anne has behaved with-with-'

'No consideration,' suggested Jacqueline.

'Thank you, sister- With no consideration whatever either for us or for herself. We cannot condone what she has done.' But if I talked to her ? '

Certainly not. We forbid that. I shall see her myself, and I shall ask the Vicar to speak to the young man.

from your mind, child.'

Dismiss Anne

But I can't. Poor Anne! She has such nice eyes-so appealing. I am very sorry for her-aren't you?'

The sisters made no reply. And their silence sent the blood rushing into Rosetta's dimpled cheeks, and into her pretty eyes flashed tiny flames of indignation. Comparing the child with her half-sisters, so austerely placid, it was hard to believe that their too sluggish blood moved so swiftly in her veins.

'You must promise us, child, that you will not go to Anne.' Rosetta tossed her head.

She gave a defiant little laugh, and then, with tears in bēr eyes, ran from the room. Prudence murmured distressfully: To think, Jacqueline, that she should have kissed that abandoned creature!

CHAPTER II.

SEPTIMUS INTRODUCES HIMSELF.

ROSETTA learned later that Anne, who had behaved with such a shameless lack of consideration, had married her Rert and gone with him to Canada. The incident, therefore, was regarded as

VOL. XXXI.-NO. 181, N.S.

9

closed. Nevertheless, it remained in her memory as a faint blur upon her vision of the two persons whom she regarded as the best and kindest in the world. She told herself at the time that she could not understand her sisters, and beheld them during a few horrid hours as unjust and uncharitable. Long years afterwards, she was able to look back and realise that this was the first of other misunderstandings and perplexities, the beginning of an inevitable end.

During the summer, moreover, she dimly apprehended the existence of what appeared to her young mind to be a comical conspiracy on the part of neighbours and friends to preserve, so to speak, the Misses Mauleverer from everything and everybody likely to offend their delicate susceptibilities. The sisters had many neighbours, but few friends. Dr. Pogany and the Vicar were amongst the latter, although Mrs. Pogany, the daughter of the Charminster banker, remained a mere acquaintance. The Vicar's wife, Mrs. Lovibond, was, in point of fact, the only lady in Charminster upon terms of real intimacy with Lord Mauleverer's daughters, being indeed remotely of kin to them, and distinguished by an aquiline nose rightly considered to be as good as a patent of nobility.

Rosetta adored Mrs. Lovibond, and ran in and out of the Vicarage at her pleasure. From Mrs. Lovibond she learned of the comical conspiracy.

'You know, Rosetta,' the Vicar's wife had said, 'that your dear sisters are the most wonderful people.'

'But why?'

Mrs. Lovibond laughed and tapped the girl's cheek. Then, with a not unhappy inspiration, she pointed to a cabinet which held under lock and key some beautiful cups and saucers of early Worcester, the only articles of real value in the shabby Vicarage. Rosetta, long before this talk, had been taught to admire the dainty decoration, the delicate gilding, the indescribable charm and grace of these fine specimens. In the same cabinet was a plate from the same factory, but potted and decorated at a much later period. Mrs. Lovibond, who could preach a better sermon than her husband, liked to contrast the refinement of the old with the too lavish gaudiness of the new, which she stigmatised as 'flashy.' And she would generally add with a sigh: 'They can't reproduce the old paste, or the melting glaze, or the mellow tone."

'Look at my china,' she said to Rosetta.

'I love to look at it.'

'It was made to be looked at. If you examine the gilding at the bottom of the cups you will see that they have not been used. My great-grandmother, to whom they were given, never used them. They have always been kept under lock and key. Well, my dear, your sisters are like my china, and we all know it. We keep them under lock and key. Charminster is immensely proud of them, but it admires at a respectful distance.'

'I see.'

'I wonder whether you do see. It's not easy to make young people see the beauty of a fine paste. The eye must be trained, and the sure touch, also, is a matter of training. But don't you feel that your sisters are quite different from, let us say, you and me ? '

'It seems odd that they should be, but I admit they are."

Here in Charminster we have always known that they were different, and we have governed ourselves accordingly.' Rosetta laughed.

'Now I think of it, Dr. Pogany has a very loud voice, because Mrs. Pogany is rather deaf. He shouts at me as if I were deaf too, but he never shouts at my sisters.'

That's it exactly.'

Once I overheard him say to Mrs. Pogany that they must be" spared.'

They have been "spared."

Rosetta laughed again.

'I don't want to be spared. I'm horridly curious. Even butchers' shops don't disgust me. Prudence loathes passing one. I must confess to you that Hog Lane excites me awfully. I'd like to know the people there, to pop into their lives when they weren't expecting me. When we do visit our neighbours, Crump lets them know we're coming, and things are tidied up.' Things have always been tidied up for them. I tidy my

own mind when they come here.'

Is your mind ever untidy?'

'Sometimes.'

'How nice of you to tell me that.'

After this talk, Rosetta, ever quick to take a hint, began in her turn to spare the two fine specimens of English porcelain. She tried to tidy her mind from no motive save the honourable