She knew
it now, when she contrasted the Madelon of to-day, going about
with the light in her eyes, and the glad ring in her voice,
with the Madelon of six months ago. She had not been able to
make her happy, and she would leave her without a regret; and
the thought gave Mrs. Treherne a sharper pang than she had
felt for many a day.

And meanwhile this was what Madelon was saying,--

"In another month, Madelon," Graham had said to her, "we shall
be at L----, and you will be looking out on the blue skies that
you have so often longed for."

"Yes," she replied, "and then perhaps I shall be thinking of
the grey ones I have left behind; I shall be sorry to leave
England after all. I will pay your country so much of a
compliment as that, Monsieur Horace, or rather I shall be
sorry to leave some of the English people--Aunt Barbara, I do
not like to think of her alone; she will miss me, she says."

"I should not wonder if she did, Madelon."

"I do not know why she should; I think I have been ungrateful
to her; she has been so good, so kind to me, why have I not
been able to love her more? Where should I have been if she
had not taken care of me? and such care! If I lived to be a
hundred I could never repay all she has done, and now I am
going away to be happy, and she will be lonely and sad."

"We will ask her to come and see us, some day, at L----. I saw a
house when I was there, that would suit us exactly, and it has
a room, which shall be sometimes for Aunt Barbara, sometimes
for Madge. It has an open gallery, and an outside staircase
leading down to the garden, which will delight Madge's small
mind."

"Like my room at Le Trooz," cried Madelon. "Ah! how glad I am
that you can go there first, and that I shall see Jeanne-Marie
again; if only we do not find her ill--it is so long since I
have heard from her, and she used to write so regularly."

"For my part," said Graham, "I wish to see the hotel at
Chaudfontaine, where I first met a small person who was very
rude to me, I remember."

"And your wish will not be gratified, sir, for the season will
be over by next month and the hotel closed for the winter. I
am sorry for that, but I wonder you can wish to see a place
where any one was rude to you--now with me of course it is
different."

"In what way, Madelon?"

"Ah! that I will not tell you--but we will go to the convent at
Liege, Monsieur Horace; I would like to see Soeur Lucie again.
Poor Soeur Lucie--but