im. And he made her swear at
him--and--and--"

"_What?_" says Sir Mark.

"It's impossible to know anybody," sighs Dicky Browne, regretfully,
shaking his head at this fresh instance of the frailty of humanity. "Who
could have believed Dulce capable of using bad language? I hope her
school-children and her Sunday class won't hear it, poor little things.
It would shake their faith forever."

"How do you know he is talking of Dulce?" says Julia, impatiently.
"Jacky, how _dare_ you say dear Dulce swore at any one?"

"He _made_ her," says Jacky.

"He must have behaved awfully bad to her," says Dicky, gravely.

"He said to her to swear, and she did it at once," continues Jacky,
still greatly excited.

"_Con amore_," puts in Mr. Browne.

"And he scolded her very badly," goes on Jacky, at which Roger frowns
angrily; "and he said she broke something belonging to him, but I
couldn't hear what; and then he told her to go away, and when she was
going she touched his arm, and he pushed her away awfully roughly, but
he didn't try to _murder_ her at all."

"What on earth is the boy saying?" says Julia, perplexed in the extreme,
"Who didn't try to murder who?"

"I'm telling you about Dulce and Stephen," says Jacky, in an aggrieved
tone, though still ready to burst with importance. "When he took her
away from this, I followed 'm; I kept my eyes on 'm. Dicky said Stephen
looked murderous; so I went to see if I could help her. But I suppose he
got sorry, because he let her off. She is all right; there isn't a
_scratch_ on her."

Sir Mark and Dicky were consumed with laughter. But Roger, taking the
little champion in his arms, kisses him with all his heart.

CHAPTER XXV.

"For aught that ever I could read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth."
--_Midsummer Night's Dream._

WHEN dinner comes Dulce is wonderfully silent. That is the misfortune of
being a rather talkative person, when you want to be silent you can't,
without attracting universal attention. Every one now stares at Dulce
secretly, and speculates about what Stephen may, or may not, have said
to her.

She says yes and no quite correctly to everything, but nothing more, and
seems to find no comfort in her dinner--which is rather a good one. This
last sign of depression appears to Dicky Browne a very serious one, and
he watches her wi