"Indeed," softly said Fanny, "I am afraid so, Rachel. You have taken a

great deal of trouble, but Conrade declares he will never say a lesson

to you again, and I don't quite see how to make him after this."

"Oh, very well; then there's an end of it. I am sorry for you, Fanny."

And away walked Rachel, and as she went towards the gate two artificial

jets d'eau, making a considerable curve in the air, alighted, the one

just before her, the other, better aimed, in the back of her neck. She

had too much dignity to charge back upon the offenders, but she

went home full of the story of Fanny's lamentable weakness, and

prognostications of the misery she was entailing on herself. Her

mother and sister were both much concerned, and thought Fanny extremely

foolish; Mrs. Curtis consoling herself with the hope that the boys would

be cured and tamed at school, and begging that they might never be

let loose in the park again. Rachel could not dwell much longer on the

matter, for she had to ride to Upper Avon Park to hold council on the

books to be ordered for the book-club; for if she did got go herself,

whatever she wanted especially was always set aside as too something or

other for the rest of the subscribers.

Mrs. Curtis was tired, and stayed at home; and Grace spent the afternoon

in investigations about the harrying of the thrushes, but, alas! without

coming a bit nearer the truth. Nothing was seen or heard of Lady Temple

till, at half-past nine, one of the midges, or diminutive flies used at

Avonmonth, came to the door, and Fanny came into the drawing-room--wan,

tearful, agitated.

"Dear Rachel, I am so afraid I was hasty, I could not sleep without

coming to tell you how sorry I am."

"Then you are convinced? I knew you would be."

"Oh, yes, I have just been sitting by him after he was gone to bed. He

never goes to sleep till I have done that, and he always tells me if

anything is on his mind. I could not ask him again, it would have been

insulting him; but he went over it all of himself, and owned he ought

not to have put a finger on the edge of the nest, but he wanted so to

see what it was lined with; otherwise he never touched it. He says, poor

boy, that it was only your being a civilian that made you not able to

believe him, I am sure you must believe him now."

Mrs. Curtis began, in her gentle way, about the difficulty of believing

one's children in fault, but Lady Temple was entirely past accepting the

possibility of Conrade's being to blame in this particular instance. It

made her bristle up again, so that even Rachel saw the impossibility of

pressing it, and trusted to some signal confutation to cure her of her

infatuation. But she was as affectionate as ever, only wanting to be

forgiven for the morning's warmth, and to assure dear Aunt Curtis, dear

Grace, and dearest Rachel in particular, that there was no doing without

them, and it was the greatest blessing to be near them.




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