home, and make the morning calls that the
charms of croquet had led her to neglect, and in about half an hour
from that time she was announced in Miss Williams' little parlour,
and entered with a hurried, panting, almost pursued look, a frightened
glance in her eyes, and a flush on her cheek, such as to startle both
Ermine and the Colonel.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, as if still too much perturbed to know quite what
she was saying, "I--I did not mean to interrupt you."

"I'm only helping Rose to change the water of her hyacinths," said
Colonel Keith, withdrawing his eyes and attention to the accommodation
of the forest of white roots within the purple glass.

"I did not know you were out to-day," said Lady Temple, recovering
herself a little.

"Yes, I came to claim my walking companion. Where's your hat, Rosie?"

And as the child, who was already equipped all but the little brown hat,
stood by her aunt for the few last touches to the throat of her jacket,
he leant down and murmured, "I thought he was safe out riding."

"Oh no, no, it is not that," hastily answered Lady Temple, a fresh
suffusion of crimson colour rustling over her face, and inspiring an
amount of curiosity that rendered a considerable effort of attention
necessary to be as supremely charming a companion as Rose generally
found him in the walks that he made it his business to take with her.

He turned about long before Rose thought they had gone far enough, and
when he re-entered the parlour there was such an expectant look on his
face that Ermine's bright eyes glittered with merry mischief, when she
sent Rose to take off her walking dress. "Well!" he said.

"Well? Colin, have you so low an opinion of the dignity of your charge
as to expect her to pour out her secrets to the first ear in her way?"

"Oh, if she has told you in confidence."

"No, she has not told me in confidence; she knew better."

"She has told you nothing?"

"Nothing!" and Ermine indulged in a fit of laughter at his discomfiture,
so comical that he could not but laugh himself, as he said, "Ah! the
pleasure of disappointing me quite consoles you."

"No; the proof of the discretion of womanhood does that! You thought,
because she tells all her troubles to you, that she must needs do so to
the rest of the world."

"There is little difference between telling you and me."

"That's the fault of your discretion, not of hers."

"I should like to know who has been annoying her. I sus