s. Morley never
spoke of Anne or Daisy, and seemed to grow no more cheerful than before
even in the perfect summer weather. She still looked pale and subdued,
and her eyes still had in their watery depths an anxious expression.
Everyone said that she was regretting the death of Daisy and the
wickedness of Anne; but others remarked that she had looked just as
haggard and worn before as after the tragedy. Mrs. Parry gave it as her
opinion that the poor lady had a secret sorrow, and tried by skilful
questioning to learn what it was. But either Mrs. Parry was not clever
enough or Mrs. Morley had no secret to reveal, for the scandal-monger
learned nothing. The only thing that Mrs. Morley said was that she
missed her girls. Whereupon Mrs. Parry told her that she ought to be
ashamed of herself, seeing that the three were getting a good education.
However, this did not seem to console Mrs. Morley much, for she wept
copiously in her usual fashion.

The good old lady returned to her cottage very much disgusted. It was
rather a dull time for her, as she had heard no news for a long time.
Everyone was so well-behaved that there was no scandal going, and Mrs.
Parry began to think that she ought to pay a visit to town. Her cousin,
Mrs. McKail, had already gone back to New Zealand with a fearful opinion
of English Society, for Mrs. Parry had blackened the country just as
though she had been a pro-Boer.

Then one day her little maid, who was called Jane, and had the sharpest
ears of any one in the village, brought in breakfast with the remark
that Mr. Ware had returned. Mrs. Parry sat up in bed, where she always
partook of the first meal of the day, and looked excited.

"When did he arrive, Jane? How does he look? What does he say?"

Jane, being experienced, answered these questions categorically.

"He came last night, mum, with Trim, and looks a shadder of hisself, but
said as he was glad to be home again, and what was the news."

"Ho!" said Mrs. Parry, rubbing her nose with a teaspoon, "wants to hear
the news, does he? I'll ask him to tea to-morrow--no, to-day. You can
take a note up to his place, Jane."

"Yes, mum," replied Jane, who was friendly with Giles' housekeeper.

"And don't let me hear that you've been gossiping with the servants,
Jane," snapped Mrs. Parry, who was unusually cross in the morning, and
looked an ogress without her wig. "I hate gossip. You have two ears and
one mouth, Jane; that means you should listen