best
knew. It was no light one; and Lionel felt that it was not. She stood in
the hall, just outside the door of the ante-room, and took Sibylla's
hand as she approached.

"I am happy to see you, Mrs. Verner," she said, with stately courtesy.
"I hope you will make yourself at home."

They all went together into the drawing-room, in a crowd, as it were.
Lucy was there, dressed also. She came up with a smile on her young and
charming face, and welcomed Sibylla.

"It is nearly dinner-time," said Decima to Sibylla. "Will you come with
me upstairs, and I will show you the arrangements for your rooms.
Lionel, will you come?"

She led the way upstairs to the pretty sitting-room with its blue-and
white furniture, hitherto called "Miss Decima's room"; the one that
Lionel had sat in when he was growing convalescent.

"Mamma thought you would like a private sitting-room to retire to when
you felt disposed," said Decima. "We are only sorry it is not larger.
This will be exclusively yours."

"It is small," was the not very gracious reply of Sibylla.

"And it is turning you out of it, Decima!" added Lionel.

"I did not use it much," she answered, proceeding to another room on the
same floor. "This is your bedroom, and this the dressing-room," she
added, entering a spacious apartment and throwing open the door of a
smaller one which led out of it. "We hope that you will find everything
comfortable. And the luggage that you don't require to use can be
carried upstairs."

Lionel had been looking round, somewhat puzzled. "Decima! was not this
Lucy's room?"

"Lucy proposed to give it up to you," said Decima. "It is the largest
room we have; the only one that has a dressing-room opening from it,
except mamma's. Lucy has gone to the small room at the end of the
corridor."

"But it is not right for us to turn out Lucy," debated Lionel. "I do not
like the idea of it."

"It was Lucy herself who first thought of it, Lionel. I am sure she is
glad to do anything she can to render you and Mrs. Verner comfortable.
She has been quite anxious to make it look nice, and moved nearly all
the things herself."

"It does look comfortable," acquiesced Lionel as he stood before the
blaze of the fire, feeling grateful to Decima, to his mother, to Lucy,
to all of them. "Sibylla, this is one of your fires; yea like a blaze."

"And Catherine will wait upon you, Mrs. Verner," continued Decima. "She
understands it. She waited on mamma for two y