way you mean. I confess I should
feel more comfortable if I thought that somebody was with the two young
people, to play propriety, and all that sort of thing."

"I thought you were above such conventionalism," said Miss Brooke,
glaring at him through her glasses from her lofty height upon the steps.

"Not at all. Not where my daughter is concerned. Children teach their
father very new and unexpected lessons, I find; and I don't look with
equanimity on the prospect of Lesley's being made love to by Oliver
Trent, or of her going back to her mother and telling her that she was
left so much to her own devices. I am sure of one thing--that Lady Alice
would not like it."

"And am I to give up all my engagements for the sake of sitting with two
silly young people?" said Miss Brooke, the very hair of her head seeming
to bristle with horror at the idea.

"By no means. I don't see that you need be always there; but be there
sometimes; don't give occasion to the enemy," said Mr. Brooke; turning
to go.

"Who is the enemy?" said Doctor Sophy--a spiteful question, as she well
knew.

"The world," said Caspar Brooke, quite quietly: he did not choose to see
the spitefulness.

"Oh," said Miss Brooke. "I thought you meant your wife." But she did not
dare to say this until he was well out of the room, and the door firmly
closed behind him.

But Miss Brooke was neither malicious nor unreasonable. On consideration
she came to the conclusion that her brother was substantially right--as
a matter of fact she always came to that conclusion--and prepared to
carry out his views of the matter. Only she carried them out in her own
way. She made a point of being present on the occasion of Mr. Trent's
next two calls, and although she read a book all the time, she was
virtuously conscious of the fact that her mere presence "made all the
difference." But on the third occasion she wanted to go out. What was to
be done? Miss Brooke's mind was fertile of resource, and she
triumphantly surmounted the difficulty.

"Kingston," she said to Lesley's maid, "I am obliged to go out, and I
don't like leaving Miss Lesley so much alone. You may take your work
down to the library and sit there, and don't go away if visitors come
in. You can just draw the curtains, you know."

"Am I to stay all the afternoon, ma'am?" Kingston inquired, with
surprise.

"Yes. I'll speak to Miss Lesley about it. I think she ought to have some
one at hand when I am out so m