appearance of his cousin--until the plain evidence
of the clock pointed to a delay of five endless minutes, and more. As
he approached the door to make inquiries, it opened at last. Hurrying to
meet Carmina, he found himself face to face with Miss Minerva!

She came in hastily, and held out her hand without looking at him.

"Forgive me for intruding on you," she said, with a rapidity of
utterance and a timidity of manner strangely unlike herself. "I'm
obliged to prepare the children's lessons for to-morrow; and this is my
only opportunity of bidding you good-bye. You have my best wishes--my
heartfelt wishes--for your safety and your health, and--and your
enjoyment of the journey. Good-bye! good-bye!"

After holding his hand for a moment, she hastened back to the door.
There she stopped, turned towards him again, and looked at him for the
first time. "I have one thing more to say," she broke out. "I will do
all I can to make Carmina's life pleasant in your absence." Before he
could thank her, she was gone.

In another minute Carmina came in, and found Ovid looking perplexed
and annoyed. She had passed Frances on the stairs--had there been any
misunderstanding between Ovid and the governess?

"Have you seen Miss Minerva?" she asked.

He put his arm round her, and seated her by him on the sofa. "I don't
understand Miss Minerva," he said. "How is it that she came here, when I
was expecting You?"

"She asked me, as a favour, to let her see you first; and she seemed to
be so anxious about it that I gave way. I didn't do wrong, Ovid--did I?"

"My darling, you are always kind, and always right! But why couldn't
she say good-bye (with the others) downstairs? Do _you_ understand this
curious woman?"

"I think I do." She paused, and toyed with the hair over Ovid's
forehead. "Miss Minerva is fond of you, poor thing," she said
innocently.

"Fond of me?"

The surprise which his tone expressed, failed to attract her attention.
She quietly varied the phrase that she had just used.

"Miss Minerva has a true regard for you--and knows that you don't return
it," she explained, still playing with Ovid's hair. "I want to see how
it looks," she went on, "when it's parted in the middle. No! it looks
better as you always wear it. How handsome you are, Ovid! Don't you wish
I was beautiful, too? Everybody in the house loves you; and everybody
is sorry you are going away. I like Miss Minerva, I like everybody, for
being so fond of