e?" persisted Olivia, rather curiously.

"Fergus and I always spent the day alone together, and I keep up the
custom still," returned Mrs. Broderick, in a dreamy voice. "He never
gave me his present until the evening, and it was always such a grand
surprise. His last present to me was that revolving book-table. How
splendid I thought it, and what a comfort it has been to me all these
years. Don't look so serious, Livy, I don't mean to be dull, I never am,
but I like to fancy that on my birthday I have Fergus near me still," and
nothing that Olivia could say would shake her resolution.

Olivia hesitated to repeat her visit to Galvaston House, and when she
consulted Marcus he advised her to wait a little.

"We must not be too pushing. I daresay one of these days Mr. Gaythorne
will send you another message. He is rather ailing and out of sorts just
now, and inclined to bristle up at a word," but, though Marcus laughed in
this way, he had not found his berth an easy one.

Mr. Gaythorne was often irritable, and the least contradiction--even the
assertion of an opinion--would ruffle him. Once, when Marcus had
proposed discontinuing his evening visits, Mr. Gaythorne had appeared
quite affronted.

"If I can afford to pay for medical advice, I suppose I may be allowed to
have it," he had returned, testily. "Of course, if your time is too
valuable----"

But Marcus, flushing at the covert sneer, answered, in his quick,
straightforward way:

"I wish it were more valuable; but as I have no wish to pick your pocket,
I thought it would be only honest to tell you that the evening visit is
no longer necessary."

"Very well, then we will regard it in the light of a luxury," returned
Mr. Gaythorne, a little less grimly. "By-the-bye, Dr. Luttrell, I want
to ask you if you will kindly let me have your account at the end of the
month. Monthly payments are my rule, if it will not inconvenience you."

Marcus assured him he was quite ready to meet his wishes.

Olivia, who had few amusements, often thought longingly of that beautiful
winter garden, and wished to revisit it. She had described it so vividly
and graphically to Aunt Madge, that Mrs. Broderick declared she could
picture it exactly. She was never weary of hearing her niece's
description.

"I feel as though my world were enlarged, and that I had got a new
friend," she said one day, and Olivia was amused to hear that the faded
flowers had been carefully pressed.