" said Maud.

At this moment there was a knock at the door, and Bessie's tearful face
appeared. Mistress Mabel had found it impossible to settle down to her
usual spinning to-day, and telling the children she must look after the
maids, to see they did not get gossiping about the family affairs, she
had dismissed them.

"Oh, Maud, I have no brother Harry now," sobbed the little girl,
throwing herself into her arms.

"But Harry is not dead," said Maud, smoothing back the tumbled hair from
her hot forehead. "He has only gone away from home, and you can love him
still."

"That's what Bertram says," sobbed the child; "but it isn't just the
same; he was my brother before--my very own, and now"--and she burst
into another passionate flood of tears.

"Prithee, now hush," said Maud. "Harry loves you all the same, I am
sure, and you can love him; so that it need make no difference to you,
Bessie."

"But it does make a difference," passionately exclaimed Bessie. "You
said it did a little while ago."

Maud had forgotten the circumstance to which the girl referred, until
she went on--"You said Harry was not your real brother, and now I am not
his real sister. Has Harry got another name?" she suddenly asked.

Maud smiled, but Mary shook her head sorrowfully. "No, his name is Drury
still," she said, "and he has disgraced it, Bessie--disgraced the good
old name that you and I bear."

Bessie looked at Maud. "Are you glad your name is not Drury?" she said.

Maud shook her head. "I wish it was," she said, "and then I could make
you understand better that I do not think Harry has disgraced it."

"Then it can be, can't it?" said Bessie, drying her tears.

"What, dear?"

"Drury. You can change your name, can't you?"

A momentary blush overspread Maud's pale face, but it quickly faded, and
a sadder look than ever came into her eyes as she shook her head and
said, "No, dear, I shall never change my name now." Then, seeing that
her sadness had brought back the tears to Bessie's eyes, she asked where
Bertram had gone.

"To look after Harry's horse," answered Bessie. "Aunt Mabel says it is
to be his, now; but Bertram says he will never ride it, for it will be
like robbing Harry."

"Suppose we go and look at Cavalier, too," said Maud. "He will miss his
master almost as much as you do, Bessie," she added, trying to speak
cheerfully.

They went through the painted gallery and out of the side door, as Harry
went in the morning,