ing to," said the young clergyman,
holding himself erect. Certainly Reginald had not improved; he had grown
ever so much more self-important since he got a living of his own.

"And if I was to say, 'Mind, I won't have it, Reginald?'" cried Ursula,
half-laughing, half-angry. "I think that is a great deal worse than a
pupil. But Miss Beecham is very dignified, and you may be sure she will
not think much of a call from you. Heaven be praised! that is one thing
you can't get into your hands; we girls are always good for something
there. Men may think themselves as grand as they please," said Ursula,
"but their visits are of no consequence; it is ladies of the family who
must _call_!" After this little out-break, she came down at once to her
usual calm. "I will ask Cousin Anne what I ought to do; I don't think
Miss Beecham wanted me to go then--"

"I shall go," said Reginald, and he left Ursula in her father's keeping,
who met them at the station, and went off at once, with a pleasant sense
of having piqued her curiosity, to Grange Lane.

It was still early, for the trains which stopped at the little country
station next to the Hall were very few and inconvenient, and the sun,
though setting, was still shining red from over St. Roque's upon Grange
Lane. The old red walls grew redder still in the frosty night, and the
sky began to bloom into great blazing patches of colour upon the wintry
clearness of the blue. There was going to be a beautiful sunset, and
such a thing was always to be seen from Grange Lane better than anywhere
else in Carlingford. Reginald went down the road slowly, looking at it,
and already almost forgetting his idea of calling on Miss Beecham. To
call on Miss Beecham would be to call on old Tozer, the butterman, to
whom alone the visit would be naturally paid; and this made him laugh
within himself. So he would have passed, no doubt, without the least
attempt at intruding on the privacy of the Tozers, had not the
garden-door opened before he got so far, and Phoebe herself came out,
with her hands in her muff, to take a little walk up and down as she did
daily. She did not take her hand out of its warm enclosure to give it to
him; but nodded with friendly ease in return to his salutation.

"I have come out to see the sunset," said Phoebe; "I like a little air
before the day is over, and grandmamma, when she is poorly, likes her
room to be very warm."

"I hope Mrs. Tozer is better. I hope you have not b