Of course,
he would not speak of her everywhere; and you must permit me to say you
are a little unreasonable, not to say cross." And Rose smiled very
sweetly on him as she spoke.

Harry did look cross, and Charlie looked astonished. Graeme did not
understand it.

"Was that young Roxbury I saw you driving with the other day?" asked
Arthur. "He is going into business, I hear."

"It was he," said Charlie. "As to his going into business, I cannot
say. He is quite young yet. He is not of age. Are you going, Harry?
It is not very late yet."

They did not go immediately, but they did not have much pleasure after
that. He was very lively and amusing, and tried to propitiate Harry,
Graeme thought, but she was not quite sure; there were a good many
allusions to events and places and persons that she did not understand,
and nothing could be plainer than that she did not succeed. Then they
had some music. Rose sat at the piano till they went away, playing
pieces long, loud, and intricate; and, after they went away, she sat
down again, and played on still.

"What put Harry out of sorts to-night?" asked Arthur.

"Was he out of sorts?" asked Graeme, a little anxiously.

Rose laughed.

"I shall have to give Harry some good advice," said she; and that was
the last word she said, till she said "good-night."

"There is something wrong," said Graeme to herself, "though I am sure I
cannot tell what it is. In old times, Rosie would have burst forth with
it all, as soon as we came up-stairs. But it is nothing that can
trouble her, I am sure. I hope it is nothing that will trouble her. I
will not fret about it beforehand. We do not know our troubles from our
blessings at first sight. It ought not to be less easy to trust for my
darling than for myself. But, oh! Rosie, I am afraid I have been at my
old folly, dreaming idle dreams again."

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

Graeme had rejoiced over her sister's return, "heart-free and
fancy-free," rather more than was reasonable, seeing that the danger to
her freedom of heart and fancy was as great at home as elsewhere, and,
indeed, inevitable anywhere, and, under certain circumstances,
desirable, as well. A very little thing had disturbed her sense of
security before many weeks were over, and then, amid the mingling of
anxiety and hope which followed, she could not but feel how vain and
foolish her feeling of security had been. It was the look that had come
into Char