dear girl is so impulsive," she said. "Of course, it's
delightful, but--" She pursed her lips and gave me a significant look.
"This child!" said Chat.

"Oh, you mean Margaret Octon? Seems a very nice girl, Miss Chatters."

"Jenny's heart's so good--but what a handicap!"

Chat was of that view, then, concerning the coming of Margaret. Well, it
was not uncommon.

"We shall never get back to our old terms with Fillingford Manor as long
as she's here," said Chat.

"Were you so much attached to Fillingford Manor?" I ventured to ask.

"That would end all the talk," she insisted with an agitated urgency.
"If only Lord Fillingford would overlook--" She stopped in a sudden
fright. "Don't say I said that!"

"Why, of course not," I answered, smiling. "Anything you want said you
can say yourself. It's not my business."

"One can always rely on you, Mr. Austin. But wouldn't that be
perfect--after it all, you know?"

It certainly would be picking up the pieces--after a smash into utter
fragments! But it is always pleasant to see people contemplating what
they regard as perfection; and no very clear duty lies on a private
individual to disturb their vision. I told Chat that the idea was no
doubt worth thinking over, and so, in amity, we parted.

That was Chat's idea. Octon was gone with his fascination--not unfelt by
Chat. Now it would be perfection if Lord Fillingford would overlook! But
with that goal in view Margaret Octon was a heavy handicap.
Undoubtedly--so heavy, so fatal, that the goal could hardly be Jenny's.
Chat, who had done so much to form Jenny, might have given a thought to
that aspect of the matter. If one thing were certain, it was that Jenny,
when she accepted her legacy from Octon and brought Margaret to
Breysgate, thereby abandoned and renounced all thought of renewing her
relations with Fillingford. I was glad to come to that conclusion,
helped to getting at it clearly (as one often is) by the opposite point
of view presented by another. I had never been an enthusiastic
Fillingfordite; I had accepted rather than welcomed. And I could bear
him better suing than overlooking. Having things overlooked did not suit
my idea of Jenny--though I could enjoy seeing her riding buoyant over
them.

Jenny and Margaret came along the terrace toward us, arm in arm, their
approach heralded by merry laughter. "We've been building castles in the
air!" cried Jenny.

"May you soon be living in them!"

She shook her h