ad of her company. Molly would be a sort of shield to her; not that it
really mattered, for she had already quite made up her mind how to act.

The girls enjoyed their pleasant drive together. Mrs. Willis's train was
punctual, and she was soon driving back to the Grange, Molly seated by
her side and Annie on the seat facing her.

Mrs. Willis had the knack of making all girls perfectly at home with
her. Molly felt sure that a certain feeling of restraint would come over
her when she sat by the side of this excellent and adorable woman; but
the moment she looked into Mrs. Willis's kind eyes, and Mrs. Willis
returned her glance, and said in that full, rich, motherly voice of
hers, "Oh, I have heard of you; you are Molly Lorrimer, you live at the
Towers, and you have a great many brothers and sisters, and your
schoolroom is reached by a spiral stair, and is somewhere up in the
clouds. I have heard all about you many times from Nan." Then Molly
laughed, and felt at home. She felt more than at home, for her heart
gave a strange flutter, and then a curious sense of peace pervaded it.
It was something like being near her mother, and yet it was something
different. The magnetic influence of a good and great spirit was already
making itself felt.

Annie sat opposite to the two with dancing eyes.

"How well you look my love," said Mrs. Willis. "I am delighted to see
that the change has done you so much good."

Annie drooped her long lashes for a moment.

"I am as well as well can be," she said, "and as jolly as jolly can be,
and you have just come in the nick of time to make everything perfect.
Molly, do tell Mrs. Willis about our fancy ball to-night."

"I will listen to you in a moment, Molly," said Mrs. Willis; "but first
of all I want to ask Annie a question. I hope you did not send the ring
to Paris, Annie, for, if you did, I never received it."

"What ring?" asked Annie, looking up in pretended amazement. "Do you
mean my mother's ring, Mrs. Willis, the--the one you lent me?"

"Yes, dear. I wrote to you last week about it. I was surprised at never
hearing from you, for my letter was quite urgent. I wanted the ring for
a special object, and was disappointed at its never coming."

"That must have been the letter you never got, Annie," exclaimed Molly.

"You never got my letter?" exclaimed Mrs. Willis. "How very, very
strange! But I posted it myself, and I know I put the right address on
it. I am relieved, of course, t