ll not stay with you any longer,
Rupert, if you will do it.'

So saying, Dora, well-named Discreet Dolly, ran away to Lucy, of whom
she was very fond.

Rupert was both amused and surprised at Dora's behaviour, and perhaps,
at the same time, a little ashamed and piqued by a little girl of seven
years old having shewn more right feeling and self-command than he had
displayed; and to cover all these sensations, he began to talk nonsense
to Katherine and Harriet as fast as he could.

In the mean time Helen walked on alone, a little behind the rest of the
party; for by this time Elizabeth and Anne had come up with the others,
and had passed her. As they entered a little copse, she began to
recollect herself. She had from her infancy been accustomed to give
way to fits of peevishness and fretfulness, thinking that as long as
her ill-humour did not burst forth in open name, as Elizabeth's used
formerly to do, there was no great harm in letting it smoulder away,
and make herself and everyone else uncomfortable. Some time ago,
something had brought conviction to her mind that such conduct was not
much better than bearing malice and hatred in her heart, and she had
resolved to cure herself of the habit. Then came her visit to
Dykelands, where everything went on smoothly, and there was little
temptation to give way to ill-humour, so that she had almost forgotten
her reflections on the subject, till the present moment, when she
seemed suddenly to wake and find herself in the midst of one of her old
sullen moods. She struggled hard against it, and as acknowledging ill
temper is one great step towards conquering it, she soon recovered
sufficiently to admire the deep pink fruit of the skewer-wood, and the
waxen looking red and yellow berries of the wild guelder rose, when
suddenly the rear of the darkness dim which over-shadowed her spirits
was scattered by the lively din of a long loud whistle from Rupert, who
was concealed from her by some trees, a little in advance of her. She
hastened forwards, and found him and all the others just emerged from
the wood, and standing on an open bare common where neither castle nor
cottage was to be seen, nothing but a carpet of purple heath, dwarf
furze, and short soft grass upon which a few cows, a colt, and a
donkey, were browsing. The party were standing together, laughing,
some moderately, others immoderately.

'What is the matter?' asked Helen.

'I do not know,' said Elizabeth, 'u