olvin
begged off; and so you and the young ladies are much favoured."

And then, giving his horse a fillip, away they went, bowling along over
the park amid high fern brakes, lofty trees, and many deer.

"I see something white through the trees," said Henry; "look, look, all
along under the branches--see, Lucy--see, Emily!"

"Do you, master?" answered the servant; "well, that is unaccountable;
but look before you--what do you see there?"

"Only trees," replied Henry, "and fern."

"Look again, master," said the man.

And Henry looked again till he had quite passed the place where the
white things might be seen, and indeed had forgotten them.

When they came to the house and drove to the door, a footman appeared,
and was directed to lead the little ladies and gentleman to Miss
Darwell's rooms. The man went before them upstairs and along the
galleries to the door of that very room where they had been received by
poor Miss Augusta Noble.

As the footman, having opened the door, mentioned their names, they saw
that everything within the room was just the same as it had been. But
there was a nice elderly lady, dressed in black silk, who sat near the
open window. She seemed, by the book in her hand, to have been reading
to a pretty fair girl, nearly of the age of Lucy, who sat on a stool at
her feet.

These were Mrs. Colvin and Miss Darwell; and when they heard the names
announced, they both rose and came to meet their visitors. They both
smiled so sweetly, and spoke so pleasantly, that they took all fear at
once from the children.

Mrs. Colvin herself took off the bonnets and tippets, and laid them
aside; and Miss Darwell said, "I am glad you came so soon; I told
Everard to make haste."

As soon as they were ready, Miss Darwell began to talk of what they
were to play at. Mrs. Colvin gave them leave to go out for a time to
play in the shade of what they called the cedar-grove, a place near the
house, but they all begged her to go with them.

"Not to play, my dears," she said; "I can't run."

"No, ma'am," said Lucy; "but you can have a book and sit down and read,
as then you can see us at play."

"Well, then," said Mrs. Colvin, smiling, "I will come." And away they
all went to the cedar-grove.

As they were going Henry said:

"I am not to ask what is to be done this evening."

"No," replied Miss Darwell; "you ought not even to say, 'I am not to
ask.'"

When they had got into the grove, and Mrs. Colvin wa