that I hail every one that offers, of speaking in my Mater's name. I
know that he has summoned you to his service, Miss Powle--is he your
Master yet?"

Eleanor pushed her chair round, grating it on the floor, so as to turn
her face a little away, and answered, "No."

"You have heard his call to you?"

Eleanor felt her whole heart convulsed in the struggle to answer or not
answer this question. With great difficulty she kept herself outwardly
perfectly quiet; and at last said hoarsely, looking away from Mr. Rhys
into the fire,

"How do you know anything about it?"

"Have you yielded obedience to his commands?" he said, disregarding her
words.

"I do not know what they are--" Eleanor answered.

"Have you sought to find them out?"

She hesitated, and said "no." Her face was completely turned away from
him now; but the tender intonation of the next words thrilled through
every nerve of her heart and brain.

"Then your head is uncovered yet by that helmet of security which you
were anxious about a little time ago?"

It was the speech of somebody who saw right into her heart and knew all
that was going on there; what was the use of holding out and trying to
maintain appearances? Eleanor's head sank; her heart gave way; she
burst into tears. Now was her chance, she thought; the ice was broken;
she would ask of Mr. Rhys all she wanted to know, for he could tell
her. Before another word was spoken, in rushed Julia.

"I've got that going," she said; "you shall have some tea directly, Mr.
Rhys. I hope Mrs. Williams will stay away till I get through. Now it
will take a little while--come here, Eleanor, and look at these
beautiful ferns."

Eleanor was sitting upright again; she had driven the tears back. She
hoped for another chance of speaking, when Julia should go to get her
tea ready. In the mean while she moved her seat, as her sister desired
her, to look over the ferns. This brought her into the neighbourhood of
the couch, where Julia sat on a low bench, turning the great sheets of
paper on the floor before her. It brought Eleanor's face into full
view, too, she knew; but now she did not care for that. Julia went on
rapturously with the ferns, asking information as before; and in Mr.
Rhys's answers there was a grave tone of preoccupation which thrilled
on Eleanor's ear and kept her own mind to the point where it had been.

"Are there ferns out there where you are going if you get well, Mr.
Rhys? new ones?"