ade it sparkle far and wide. The horse's tread
rang on the frozen highway. A breeze from the north-west chased the
blood to healthsome leaping, and caught the breath like an unexpected
kiss. The colour was high on Alice's fair cheeks; she laughed with
delight.

'Oh, Dick, what a thing it is to be rich! And you do look such a
gentleman; it's those gloves, I think.'

'Now we're going into the village,' Mutimer said presently. 'Don't look
about you too much, and don't seem to be asking questions. Everybody 'll
be at the windows.'

CHAPTER XV

Between the end of the village street and the gates of the Manor,
Mutimer gave his sister hasty directions as to her behaviour before the
servants.

'Put on just a bit of the princess,' he said. 'Not too much, you know,
but just enough to show that it isn't the first time in your life that
you've been waited on. Don't always give a 'thank you;' one every now
and then'll do. I wouldn't smile too much or look pleased, whatever you
see. Keep that all till we're alone together. We shall have lunch at
once; I'll do most of the talking whilst the servants are about; you
just answer quietly.'

These instructions were interesting, but not altogether indispensable;
Alice Maud had by this time a very pretty notion of how to conduct
herself in the presence of menials. The trying moment was on entering
the house; it was very hard indeed not to utter her astonishment and
delight at the dimensions of the hall and the handsome staircase.
This point safely passed, she resigned herself to splendour, and was
conducted to her room in a sort of romantic vision. The Manor satisfied
her idea of the ancestral mansion so frequently described or alluded to
in the fiction of her earlier years. If her mind had just now reverted
to Mr. Keene, which of course it did not, she would have smiled very
royally indeed.

When she entered the drawing-room, clad in that best gown which her
brother had needlessly requested her to bring, and saw that Richard
was standing on the hearth-rug quite alone, she could no longer contain
herself, but bounded towards him like a young fawn, and threw her arms
on his neck.

'Oh, Dick,' she whispered, 'what a thing it is to be rich! How ever did
we live so long in the old way! If I had to go back to it now I should
die of misery.'

'Let's have a look at you,' he returned, holding her at arm's length.
'Yes, I think that'll about do. Now mind you don't let them see th