are a good generous-hearted girl."

"You are a very foolish girl," Marian exclaimed; "and I am extremely
angry with you for talking such utter nonsense about me. I may have been
a little out of spirits sometimes in my husband's absence; but that is
all. I shall begin to think that you really do want to get rid of me,
Nell, say what you will."

"That's a pretty thing, when you know that I love you as dearly as if you
were my sister; to say nothing of father, who makes a profit by your
being here, and would be fine and angry with me for interfering. No, Mrs.
Holbrook; it's your own happiness I'm thinking of, and nothing else. And
I do say that it's a shame for a pretty young woman like you to be shut
up in a lonely old farm-house while your husband is away, enjoying
himself goodness knows where; and when he is here, I can't see that he's
very good company, considering that he spends the best part of his
time--"

The girl stopped abruptly, warned by a look from Marian. Gilbert saw this
look, and wondered what revelation of Mr. Holbrook's habits the bailiff's
daughter had been upon the point of making; he was so eager to learn
something of this man, and had been so completely baffled in all his
endeavours hitherto.

"I will not have my affairs talked about in this foolish way, Ellen
Carley," Marian said resolutely.

And then they all three sat down to the dinner-table. The dishes were
brought in by the woman who had admitted Gilbert. The dinner was
excellent after a simple fashion, and very nicely served; but for Mr.
Fenton the barn-door fowl and home-cured ham might as well have been the
grass which the philosopher believed the French people might learn to
eat. He was conscious of nothing but the one fact that he was in Marian's
society for perhaps the last time in his life. He wondered at himself not
a little for the weakness which made it so sweet to him to be with her.

The moment came at last in which he must needs take his leave, having no
possible excuse for remaining any longer.

"Good-bye, Marian," he said. "I suppose we are never likely to meet
again."

"One never knows what may happen; but I think it is far better we should
not meet, for many reasons."

"What am I to tell your grandfather when I see him?"

"That I will come to him as soon as I can get my husband's permission to
do so."

"I should not think there would be any difficulty about that, when he
knows that this relationship is likely to