ntion, and she felt dreadfully
bashful and awkward as one after another gathered round her and praised
"her wonderful presence of mind," and "her remarkable courage." "So
fearless, too," said one young dandy, who would not on any account have
risked his dainty limbs. "I really thought she was going to climb up and
fetch him down."

"I should not have been surprised if she had done so," said a young lady
near him.

The poor girl blushed, and began to wonder if she had done rightly in
calling out so loudly and drawing every one's attention to herself, for
her mother had always told her that a young girl should seek to avoid
notice.

"And yet," she thought, "it cannot be wrong. I only wanted to cheer
little Ru, and I could not stop to think of any other way."

CHAPTER X.

BUSYBOROUGH.

The appearance of little Rupert in the castle yard diverted attention
from his blushing cousin, while friends and relatives crowded round him
to scold, applaud, or pet, as they deemed fit. His mother, overcome by
the anxiety and suspense of those terrible moments, fainted directly he
was brought down to her, but was soon restored, and grew very anxious
that the affair should not interfere with the happiness of her guests.
Some, indeed, proposed returning at once to Stonegate, but they were
overruled by the younger members of the party, who were anxious to
remain until the moon had risen, and also by Mrs. Woburn's desire not to
curtail their enjoyment; and it was finally settled that the steamer
should not return until ten o'clock.

Tea, coffee, and other refreshments were handed round, and the
interrupted games were resumed and carried on until the summer evening
grew chilly. The dew began to fall, and gave warning that it was too
late for out-of-door sports, and drove them into the shelter of the old
castle, where the young people proposed a dance. There was a spacious
room in the lower part of the building which had been often used for
such a purpose, and after hunting up a village musician and pressing him
into their service, hats and wraps were thrown aside and the dancing
commenced. Ruth did not understand the steps, but sat down near the
married ladies and looked on at what, to her unaccustomed eyes, was a
gay and lively scene. Yet she could not enter into it as she had entered
into the pleasures of the preceding days. She could not forget the alarm
of the afternoon; she was sure that her aunt was feeling ill and weary