Leucha, and her anxiety was great
with regard to what was taking place at The Garden. Would Jasmine and
Jasper between them have any effect on Leuchy? Hollyhock felt for the
first time in her life feverish, miserable, and anxious. She could not
sleep well at nights; her nights were haunted by dreams of Leucha and
the wicked things she herself had done as a mere frolic. But there was
no news from The Garden, and she had to bear her restless suffering as
best she could. Gladly now would she have submitted to Leuchy's
kisses, if Leuchy would come back to her friend.

Meg walked with pious mien about the grounds of Ardshiel; her
conscience was at rest. She won the affections of a certain number of
the new Scots girls, and tried her best to set them against Hollyhock;
but there was a magical influence about Hollyhock which prevented any
girl being set against her; and although the girls _did_ say that Meg
had a sturdy conscience, and that she must be very happy to have made
her confession, yet as the evening hour drew on they returned, as
though spell-bound, to Hollyhock's side to listen with fascinated eyes
and half-open mouths to her tales of bogies and ghosties.

Poor Hollyhock was feeling so restless and despairing that she threw
extra venom into her narratives, making the ghosts worse than any
ghosts that were ever heard of before, and the bogies and witches more
subtle and more vicious. Meg did not dare to come near, but she looked
with contempt at her friends who were so easily drawn to Hollyhock's
side.

Meanwhile, at The Garden the days and hours were passing. Mr Lennox
was entirely absorbed with his work, and saw little or nothing of his
children. What little he did see of Leucha he disliked, and he thought
his dear Hollyhock far too kind to her. On the following Sunday he
would speak to Hollyhock, and tell her not to play those silly tricks
again. Otherwise he had no time to consider the matter.

But, on a certain day--Thursday, to be accurate--Jasper, having been
prepared beforehand by Jasmine, had a talk alone with Leucha. He was
really sick of Leucha by this time, and meant to use plain words.

'Well, you are a poor thing,' he began.

'What do you mean?' said Leucha, turning white in her anger.

'Why, here you are in one of the grandest and best houses in the
country, petted and fussed over, and just because my cousin Hollyhock
chose to play a prank on you. My word! she might play twenty pr