GEOFFREY and Dulcie spent some days together in blissful enjoyment of each other's society. They were young enough and clever enough to delight in the clash of their minds against each other, and they discussed and argued, and Dulcie received instruction and suggested ideas, 'talking,' as Alick said, 'as if they had been a couple of fellows instead of peacefully spooning.'

I

'Spooning!' ejaculated Dulcie. That would be dull indeed. should be miserable if I could not talk to Geoff of everything that I have in my mind and hear his opinion on it. I think always of what

he will say.'

And

'And I,' said Geoffrey. 'I despise the idea that women are to be regarded as playthings. My wife shall be my companion. Dulcie suggests ideas to me-she does indeed.'

'Seems to me,' said Alick, strolling away, 'that it does nearly as well as spooning!'

However, the termination of Annie Macdonald's visit caused Alick to find his parochial duties more pressing, and one day, Geoffrey, rather at his mother's instigation, had arranged to go over and see him at Fordham, be introduced to his vicar, and gather an idea of how he was getting on. Dulcie meant to take the opportunity of paying a visit to Miss Florence. The way to Fordham from Fairfield crossed the meadows and avoided the town of Oxley, so they started together in the bright autumn morning to enjoy each other's company till a little field path diverged to Oxley Manor.

Dulcie stood on the sunny path gathering some yellow roses to fasten at her neck, while Geoffrey's voice sounded from the door as he concluded a long discourse with Captain Fordham on discipline in the army, on which subject, as on most others, he had views of his own. Captain Fordham admired Geoffrey, and thought him worthy to be trusted with his daughter, but that he was occasionally slightly bored by being called upon to use his mind so constantly and vigorously cannot be denied, and even Mrs. Fordham used to think that Geoffrey

was hardly a young man who would have attracted a girl if she had not known him for half her life.

But Dulcie had no misgivings. He gave her a sense of power, her liveliness responded to his, and she had enough sense of the ridiculous to venture to laugh at him. She liked both his vehement love and his vehement opinions, and was quite ready to engage in a discussion on university reform, interspersed with remarks on the beauty of the berry-covered hedges, and with bright anticipations of the future. Oxley was a pretty place; did Dulcie think that she would like to live there, if Geoffrey was so lucky as to get an inspectorship in the south?

Dulcie thought that she should like it very much, but when Geoffrey warned her that he might be sent into the very middle of the black country, she smiled just as brightly, and thought that she should like it nearly as well.

They parted at the gate of the manor fields, and Geoffrey went back across the line and strolled along in the sunshine by the river side, while Dulcie tripped gaily up the field to the big, pleasant house beyond it, and as she opened the garden gate, Florence Venning, bright-haired and rosy-cheeked, with a wreath of autumn berries in her hat, came down the path to meet her, with hearty kisses and congratulations.

'Dear little Dulcie!' she said, looking into the girl's blushing, beaming face. 'I was so glad of your news, and it is very good of you to come and spend the last day of the holidays with me.'

'Geoffrey is gone to see Alick at Fordham, you know,' said Dulcie. 'Isn't it a lovely day? I think this is the prettiest garden in the world.'

'Yes, it is very pretty,' said Florence; 'my sister is very proud of her flowers. But this is not the best time of year to see it. I like it best when all the flowering trees are out in bloom.'

'Oh, but the red berries on the old thorns and the Virginia creeper are just as nice in their way as the flowers. That old beech where we "Silkworms" have spun such a lot of bad thread! I shall always love that.'

'I shall lose my best spinner.'

'Oh, no-no; not yet,' said Dulcie, blushing; and, besides, I sha'n't care one bit less for all the old things because of everything being settled. I care more.'

Miss Florence smiled. Perhaps she had heard the same thing before from other maidens who had spun for her essays, poems, or works of art for the Society of Silkworms,' which enjoyed under her superintendence a great deal of delightful sense, and even more delightful nonsense. But at this moment Flossy! Flossy!' sounded down the path, and a little boy and girl came running towards them, followed by a lady in a pretty autumn dress.

"What, Lily and Arty?' said Florence, kissing them. 'Have you got a holiday too?'

'Yes,' cried the girl, a creature with a soft face of foreign tinting, but very vehement English accents. Mamma has brought us to tell you the news-two great pieces of news!'

Flossy nearly knows the news,' said Mrs. Spencer Crichton, as she kissed Florence and shook hands with Dulcie; but I promised they should tell you. Now, one at a time.'

'Uncle Arthur is coming home in October,' said the boy, and father is delighted. You didn't know that news, did you, Flossy?'

And when Christmas comes we mamma at Redhurst!' cried Lily. of such a piece of news as that!'

are all going to live with grandAnd nobody would have thought

Florence had taken the boy in her arms as he spoke, and kissed him as she said

'Wonderful news!' with rather a hurried accent. And then'Has Mr. Crichton heard from Arthur?'

"Yes. It is quite settled now, and he will stay six months at least. You know we should have moved to Redhurst before this, for mother is very lonely now Frederica is married, but Hugh fancied that Arthur would like best to come first to the Bank House, and we should like to have him there. It is eight years since our cousin left us,' she added to Dulcie, 'so he will find many changes.'

'These creatures, for instance,' said Flossy, 'and

She laughed a little as she looked at her friend's soft matronly dignity, and happy, confident air, remembering the bashful, childish bride of eight years back.

Ah, yes,' said Mrs. Crichton, answering the look; but I do not forget how kind he was to me, and I want him to come to the Bank House, that I may make him happy and comfortable my own self. He says that some one he knows is coming home in the same ship--a widower with a little girl-and asks us if we can find any sort of lodging for him, not expensive, for he is very poor.'

'Is he a gentleman?' asked Florence.

'Hugh could not tell. I think not, for he wants some kind of clerkship. But I have been inquiring. Do you think Mrs. Jones at Laurel Terrace would do, as she was their nurse at Redhurst? She would like to oblige Arthur.'

'Oh, yes,' said Florence, 'she has some charming little rooms.'

'Then, Lilia mia, and Arty, come along and see Mrs. Jones about it, or we shall not get home to lunch.'

When we live at Redhurst I shall be old enough to come to school to Flossy,' said Lily, as she ran away.

Ah, they are very clever,' said the young mother proudly, 'but I am afraid little Hughie is stupid-like me--and can only sing.'

O

PART 43.

'I am sure Mrs. Crichton doesn't look stupid,' said Dulcie, when the farewells were said.

'Well, she is not exactly clever,' said Florence. But Mr. Spencer will hardly know the shy foreign girl he left eight years ago. Violante has learned to be a great lady, and is busy and happy; but she is a loving creature, and faithful to her heart's core.'

'Mr. Crichton doesn't look as if he was the hero of a romantic story,' said Dulcie.

'He never did look like it. But don't credit the Manor with his romance, Dulcie. The mischief was all done in Italy, and we were only an unconscious episode. I dare say, though,' she added, laughing, 'that there is a wonderful myth current among the girls by this time.'

'Oh, Miss Flossy, that time seems like a sort of golden age. When I began to come here, how I used to wish that any of the governesses were like Mrs. Spencer Crichton. But I did not know that Mr. Spencer had anything to do with that story.'

'I don't think he had, exactly,' returned Florence. kind to her, when he was in trouble himself.'

'He was only

'Ah, we used to talk about him too,' said Dulcie with an inflection of pity in her variable tones. 'But I don't think I know exactly—' 'Mysie Crofton was at school here,' said Florence. You know, she, as well as the young Spencers, was brought up by Mrs. Crichton at Redhurst. Directly she grew up, she and Arthur were engaged to each other. She was- -I never cared so much for any girl, of course Iwas a girl then myself. Then-oh, Hugh and Arthur were ou shooting rabbits, and Hugh's gun frightened her as she stood on the lock gate. There used to be a lock there, where Redhurst station is.' 'She was drowned?' said Dulcie.

Yes. That was a trouble.'

'Did Mr. Spencer see?'

'Oh yes. He was very patient, very good. But, of course, it just spoiled his life for him. It was all planned out here. He was to have a partnership in the bank, and they would have lived in the Bank House.'

'But he couldn't do that afterwards.'

'No. You see there was a great nervous shock as well as the sorrow, and he was quite upset and unhinged by it. I suppose Mr. Crichton suffered even more. But he did all he could for him; and when Arthur couldn't bear all the associations of Redhurst they went together to the Bank House for a time. Then, when he had recovered himself a little, Arthur made up his mind to go out to the branch of their bank in India. And he has got on very well, and writes, they all say, very happily. Violante thinks that Hugh is much more nervous about the home-coming than Arthur himself. But I don't know how they can tell--he would never vex other people.'

Florence stood still while she was speaking under the thorn tree, and Dulcie sat on the bench, looking up at her with eager interest.

'It was a long time ago,' she said. A long time to be unhappy.' 'Yes; long enough to sweep everything away-the lock and the canal and the meadows. All went when the railway was made, and he is quite a great man, I believe, in Calcutta. Yes, it's a long time ago. But oh, that dreadful wedding day! He would have it before

he sailed.'

'I can't think how he could bear it!' said Dulcie.

'Really,' said Florence, I don't think he minded it much. The parting with all that were left was very little in comparison to him, and he was delighted at his cousin's happiness. But I really think, if he had been less unselfish about it, it (would have been easier to bear-for Hugh. It was dreadful to him to start on his wedding trip after such a parting, and to think of Arthur going away alone.' 'Were they married here?'

'Oh no, in London.

Violante's uncle lives there. Every one was stiff, and there was a great fog. The Spencers all stayed in London till after he sailed. I had to come home in the afternoon.'

Florence Venning sat silent, her bright clear eyes for once as dreamy as Dulcie's, but her mouth set hard; while Dulcie vividly imagined the dreary foggy London day, marked by such cruel memories.

'Well!' said Florence suddenly, with a start. It is, as you say, a long time ago, and no one can expect to begin again where they left off. Haven't you had Annie with you? What is she about?'

Dulcie would much have preferred to hear more of these old romances, but she respected the change of subject, and said'Annie still hankers after being a schoolmistress. 'She never will,' said Florence, rather bluntly.

"You think Lady Anne would never consent?'

'Annie's own mind is not made up. And nobody can persuade other people unless they believe in their own intentions. Besides, it would be a very hard life for Annie, she is clever, and has a good deal of mechanical technical knowledge; but she does not like teaching, and girls generally bore her. And then, of course, Lady Anne is so far right, that she is rather too much of a swell, not having any vocation for it. There are a good many little objections in her case, and she hasn't fervour enough to override them.'

'Yes, that's true,' said Dulcie; and then after a slight pause, she said, 'Alick is so happy at Fordham, he likes and admires Mr. Blandford very much.'

'I suppose so,' said Florence. I am sure his influence must be good for any one.'

Dulcie peeped round under her eyelashes. For was it not surmised by all the Manor House maidens that Mr. Blandford was a bachelor for Miss Florence's sake, and that if she did not prefer girls and