g.

Her sister continued to look at her; then, at last, "Are you in love
with Lord Lambeth?" she asked.

The young girl stared a moment, and the question was apparently too
humorous even to make her blush. "Not that I know of," she answered.

"Because if you are," Mrs. Westgate went on, "I shall certainly not send
for him."

"That proves what I said," declared Bessie, smiling--"that you are not
nice to me."

"It would be a poor service, my dear child," said her sister.

"In what sense? There is nothing against Lord Lambeth that I know of."

Mrs. Westgate was silent a moment. "You ARE in love with him then?"

Bessie stared again; but this time she blushed a little. "Ah! if you
won't be serious," she answered, "we will not mention him again."

For some moments Lord Lambeth was not mentioned again, and it was Mrs.
Westgate who, at the end of this period, reverted to him. "Of course I
will let him know we are here, because I think he would be hurt--justly
enough--if we should go away without seeing him. It is fair to give
him a chance to come and thank me for the kindness we showed him. But I
don't want to seem eager."

"Neither do I," said Bessie with a little laugh.

"Though I confess," added her sister, "that I am curious to see how he
will behave."

"He behaved very well at Newport."

"Newport is not London. At Newport he could do as he liked; but here it
is another affair. He has to have an eye to consequences."

"If he had more freedom, then, at Newport," argued Bessie, "it is the
more to his credit that he behaved well; and if he has to be so careful
here, it is possible he will behave even better."

"Better--better," repeated her sister. "My dear child, what is your
point of view?"

"How do you mean--my point of view?"

"Don't you care for Lord Lambeth--a little?"

This time Bessie Alden was displeased; she slowly got up from the
table, turning her face away from her sister. "You will oblige me by not
talking so," she said.

Mrs. Westgate sat watching her for some moments as she moved slowly
about the room and went and stood at the window. "I will write to him
this afternoon," she said at last.

"Do as you please!" Bessie answered; and presently she turned round. "I
am not afraid to say that I like Lord Lambeth. I like him very much."

"He is not clever," Mrs. Westgate declared.

"Well, there have been clever people whom I have disliked," said Bessie
Alden; "so that I suppose I may like a