rnoon; and, stepping past into
the garden, he caught her hand in his, and tried to draw her away.

"Come, dear, come! Let us walk round the garden. I want to speak to
you alone."

Lilias laughed, gave a caressing little squeeze to his hand, but stood
firmly in her position. Gervase Vanburgh and her father were
approaching, and a general conversation seemed at the moment more
interesting than a _tete-a-tete_ with her lover. So far she had had
little opportunity of speaking to the stranger, and his appearance both
interested and perplexed her. The air of languid elegance which
provoked Nan, filled her sister with admiration, yet there was something
baffling in the expression of the sleepy eyes. Lilias had an
uncomfortable impression that those eyes might be very keen on
occasions, and would have suspected a quizzical expression at the
present moment, had the idea not been so palpably absurd. Why should
Gervase find anything amusing in her attitude? It was surely a most
natural thing that she, as the eldest daughter at home, should wait for
the gentlemen, while her sisters went out into the garden, and, that
being so, where should she stand, if not by the window? Nevertheless,
the slow, quiet smile which followed his glance around, sent the blood
into her cheeks, and seemed to intimate that he was as well aware as
herself of the appropriateness of the background, and the care which had
devised that seemingly careless pose! So disconcerted was she that she
would have been inclined to retire in Ned's company had he pressed his
request a second time, but he was silenced by the first refusal, and the
little group stood together exchanging commonplaces, until a white dress
appeared among the rose-bushes, and Nan's voice called out an unabashed
summons--

"I thought you were never coming! Why don't you come out? It's
perfectly lovely here. The roses smell so delicious in the dusk; and
oh, father, there are two whole flowers on the little pink-belled
saxifrage you brought home from Norway!"

"No!" cried Mr Rendell in tones of incredulous ecstasy, which stamped
him on the spot as one of the noble army of gardeners. He hurried
forward to inspect the new treasures, while Nan went down on her knees
to hold up their tiny heads and expatiate on their fragile beauty. When
she arose five minutes later, she found two surprises awaiting her, the
first being the presence of Mr Vanburgh by her side, and the second,
alas!