the movement, that made you look back, and suspend
your conversation with your friend, and watch her silently while she
walked. She sat by you and talked to you--and behold, a sensitive
something passed into that little twist at the corner of the mouth, and
into that nervous uncertainty in the soft gray eye, which turned defect
into beauty--which enchained your senses--which made your nerves thrill
if she touched you by accident, and set your heart beating if you looked
at the same book with her, and felt her breath on your face. All this,
let it be well understood, only happened if you were a man.

If you saw her with the eyes of a woman, the results were of quite
another kind. In that case you merely turned to your nearest female
friend, and said, with unaffected pity for the other sex, "What _can_
the men see in her!"

The eyes of the lady of the house and the eyes of the governess met,
with marked distrust on either side. Few people could have failed to
see what the stranger and the friend had noticed alike--that there was
something smoldering under the surface here. Miss Silvester spoke first.

"Thank you, Lady Lundie," she said. "I would rather not play."

Lady Lundie assumed an extreme surprise which passed the limits of
good-breeding.

"Oh, indeed?" she rejoined, sharply. "Considering that we are all here
for the purpose of playing, that seems rather remarkable. Is any thing
wrong, Miss Silvester?"

A flush appeared on the delicate paleness of Miss Silvester's face.
But she did her duty as a woman and a governess. She submitted, and so
preserved appearances, for that time.

"Nothing is the matter," she answered. "I am not very well this morning.
But I will play if you wish it."

"I do wish it," answered Lady Lundie.

Miss Silvester turned aside toward one of the entrances into the
summer-house. She waited for events, looking out over the lawn, with a
visible inner disturbance, marked over the bosom by the rise and fall of
her white dress.

It was Blanche's turn to select the next player.

In some preliminary uncertainty as to her choice she looked about among
the guests, and caught the eye of a gentleman in the front ranks. He
stood side by side with Sir Patrick--a striking representative of the
school that is among us--as Sir Patrick was a striking representative of
the school that has passed away.

The modern gentleman was young and florid, tall and strong. The parting
of his curly Saxon locks b