Earl referring to his son's letter,
holding it half-a-yard off, and at last giving it to Mary to decipher
by the waning light.

So far had it waned, that when the fixtures had all been inspected,
Lord Ormersfield declared that the young ladies must not return alone,
and insisted on escorting them home. Every five minutes some one
thought of something to say: there was an answer, and by good luck a
rejoinder; then all died away, and Mary pondered how her mother would
in her place have done something to draw the two together, but she
could not. She feared the walk had made Isabel more adverse to all
connected with Ormersfield than even previously; for the Ormersfield
road was avoided, and the question as to Fitzjocelyn's merits was never
renewed.

Mary thought his cause would be safest in the hands of his great
champion, who was coming home from Oxford with him, and was to occupy
his vacation in acting tutor to little Sir Walter Conway. Louis came,
the day after his return, with his father, to make visits in the
Terrace, and was as well-behaved and uninteresting as morning calling
could make him. He was looking very well--his general health quite
restored, and his ankle much better; though he was still forbidden to
ride, and could not walk far.

'You must come and see me, Aunt Kitty,' he said; 'I am not available
for coming in to see you. I'm reading, and I've made a resignation of
myself,' he added, with a slight blush, and debonnaire shrug, glancing
to see that his father was occupied with James.

They were to dine with Lady Conway on the following Tuesday. In the
interim, no one beheld them except Jem, who walked to Ormersfield once
or twice for some skating for his little pupil Walter, and came back
reporting that Louis had sold himself, body and soul, to his father.

Clara came home, a degree more civilized, and burning to confide to
Louis that she had thought of his advice, had been the less miserable
for it, and had much more on which to consult him. She could not
conceive why even grandmamma would not consent to her accompanying the
skaters; though she was giving herself credit for protesting that she
was not going on the ice, only to keep poor Louis company, while the
others were skating.

She was obliged to defer her hopes of seeing him until Tuesday, when
she had been asked to drink tea in the school-room, and appear in the
evening. Mrs. Frost had consented, as a means of exempting herself
fro