p a match between those two! A fine story,--not a year since
he proposed to Theodora! There was she congratulating me on the
satisfaction it must be to Mrs. Martindale!'

'So she wanted to make mischief between us,' said Violet, much hurt.

'Mischief is meat and drink to her. But not a jot did I believe, I tell
you, silly child. You are not wasting tears on that crocodile tongue!
I had a mind to tell her to her face that Percy is made of different
stuff; and for my own Violet blossom--'

The tears dropped bright and happy. 'Though, dear Arthur, it was true,
as far as Percy was concerned. Annette has had to refuse him.'

'A wise girl!' exclaimed Arthur, in indignant surprise. 'But Percy! I
could not have believed it. Why would she not have him?'

'Chiefly from thinking it not right to accept him. I hope I did not do
wrong in telling her all about it. I thought it only fair, and she did
not care enough for him to make the refusal an effort.'

'I should think not! The fickle dog. To go and take up with--No
disrespect to Annette,--but after Theodora! So soon, too!'

'I fancied it more pique than inconstancy. There is so much anger about
him that I suspect there is more affection than he knows.'

'And you think that mends matters,' said Arthur, laughing. 'Well, I hope
Theodora will marry St. Erme at once, so as to serve him right. I am
sure she will if she hears of this.'

'And I am afraid Miss Gardner will write to her.'

'That she will, with nice histories of you and me and Annette. And she
will tell them at Worthbourne till old Sir Antony disinherits Percy. No
more than he deserves!'

She might well be glad of the part she had taken, now that she found
her husband so much more alive to the affront to his sister than she
had expected. He was in high good-humour, and talked merrily of his
expedition, proceeding even to such a stretch of solicitude as to say he
supposed 'the brats were all right, as he had heard nothing of them.'

His greeting to Annette was warm and cordial, he complimented her on
her sister's recovered looks, and tried to extort a declaration that
she looked just like what she had been when he took her from Wrangerton.
Annette peeped out under her eyelashes, smiled, and shook her head
timidly.

'Ha! What's your treason, Miss Annette? Does not she look as well as
ever?'

'Better, in some ways,' said Annette, looking at Violet, glowing and
smiling, with her husband's hand on her shoulder.