not to
know in a measure what must be the natural effect of
circumstances. And he would have saved Miss Kennedy the worst
of it,--only he could not. He was sometimes at the
entertainments where she met so much exasperation, and saw
from a distance as it were the wild whirl of her gaiety.
Perhaps he guessed at the meaning of that too. But he was only
a man, and he could not be sure. He never asked her to dance
himself, and never joined a quadrille or reel when she was one
of the set. And that is nearly tantamount to saying he did not
dance at all. For reels and quadrilles were very much out of
favour, and rarely adopted except just for Miss Kennedy. And
in truth Mr. Rollo in this state of affairs chose to be only
now and then seen at evening entertainments. When there he was
rather Spanish in his manners, after the old Catskill fashion.
Very Spanish indeed Mrs. Coles found him at home; his lofty
courtesy kept her at the extreme distance permitted in the
grace of good manners.

Meanwhile, no _tete-a-tete_ conversation had been practicable
with Wych Hazel. He had sought it; but she refused his
invitations to ride, and while she was in that mood he did not
choose either to risk being turned away again from the
Chickaree door, or to encounter her in a drawing-room full of
company. However, when a good many days had come and gone in
this state of estrangement, Rollo began to feel that it was
getting unbearable. So he rode up to Chickaree one day just at
luncheon time.

Miss Kennedy was not at home. Not at home in the honest sense
of the words. Mr. Rollo asked for Mrs. Bywank, and marched
straight to the housekeeper's room. And Mrs. Bywank's greeting
made him feel that, for some reason, he had come at the right
time. She begged him to sit down, and ordered luncheon; asking
if he was in haste, or if they might wait a little for Miss
Wych?

'She walked down to Mr. Falkirk's a long time ago,' said the
housekeeper, 'but I am looking for her every minute. Unless
you cannot wait, Mr. Rollo?'

He would wait; and desired to have Mrs. Bywank's report
touching the health of her young mistress. Mrs. Bywank looked
perplexed.

'She's not herself, sir,' she answered slowly. 'And yet it
would be hard to explain that. I've been wanting to see you,
Mr. Rollo, more than I can say; and now you are here I hardly
know how to tell why.'

'That makes me wish very much you would find out.'

'Phoebe will have it she is sick,' said the h