On her departure, Rachel resumed the needful details of the arrangements

respecting the house and servants, and found Lady Temple as grateful and

submissive as ever, except that, when advised to take Myrtlewood for a

term of seven years, she replied, that the Major had advised her not to

bind herself down at once.

"Did you let him think we should quarrel?"

"Oh, no, my dear; but it might not agree with the children."

"Avonmouth! Grace, do you hear what heresy Fanny has been learning? Why,

the proportion of ozone in the air here has been calculated to be five

times that of even Aveton!"

"Yes, dearest," said poor Fanny, very humbly, and rather scared, "there

is no place like Avonmouth, and I am sure the Major will think so when

he has seen it."

"But what has he to do with your movements?"

"Sir Stephen wished--" murmured Fanny.

"The Major is military secretary, and always settles our head-quarters,

and no one interferes with him," shouted Conrade.

Rachel, suspicious and jealous of her rival, was obliged to let Fanny

pass on to the next item, where her eager acceptance of all that

was prescribed to her was evidently meant as compensation for her

refractoriness about the house.

Grace had meanwhile applied herself to keeping off the boys, and was

making some progress in their good graces, and in distinguishing between

their sallow faces, dark eyes, and crisp, black heads. Conrade was

individualized, not only by superior height, but by soldierly bearing,

bright pride glancing in his eyes, his quick gestures, bold, decided

words, and imperious tone towards all, save his mother--and whatever he

was doing, his keen, black eye was always turning in search of her, he

was ever ready to spring to her side to wait on her, to maintain her

cause in rough championship, or to claim her attention to himself.

Francis was thick-set, round-shouldered, bullet-headed and dull-eyed,

in comparison, not aggressive, but holding his own, and not

very approachable; Leoline, thin, white-cheeked, large-eyed and

fretful-lipped, was ready to whine at Conrade's tyranny and Francis's

appropriations, but was grateful for Grace's protection, and more easy

of access than his elders; and Hubert was a handsome, placid child, the

good boy, as well as the beauty of the family. The pair in the nursery

hardly came on the stage, and the two elders would be quite sufficient

for Mrs. Curtis, with whom the afternoon was to be spent.

The mother, evidently, considered it a very long absence, but she was

anxious to see both her aunt and her own home, and set out, leaning

on Rachel's arm, and smiling pleased though sad recognition of the

esplanade, the pebbly beach, bathing machines and fishing boats, and

pointing them out to her sons, who, on their side, would only talk of

the much greater extent of Melbourne.




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