had looked back in cold blood to her flight with Mackenzie, she
had not been able to do away with the feeling of resentment with which
Cicely had come to view her home life. Her weapons had turned back upon
herself. Neither of them had been able to say to each other exactly what
was in their mind, and because Cicely had to stay herself with some
reason for her action, which with her father, at any rate, must be
defended somehow, she had fallen back upon the causes of her discontent
and held to them even against her mother. And there was enough truth in
them to make it difficult for Mrs. Clinton to combat her attitude,
without saying, what she could not say, that it was the duty of every
wife and every daughter to do as she had done, and rigidly sink her own
personality where it might clash with the smallest wish or action of her
husband. She claimed to have gained her own happiness in doing so, but
the doctrine of happiness through such self-sacrifice was too hard a one
for a young girl to receive. She had gained Cicely's admiration and a
more understanding love from the self-revelation which in some sort she
had made, but she had not availed to make her follow her example, and
could not have done so without holding it up as the one right course.
Cicely must fight her own battle with her father, and whichever of them
proved the victor no good could be expected to come of it. She was firm
in her conviction now that in Jim Graham's hands lay the only immediate
chance of happiness for her daughter. But Jim had held quite aloof. No
word had been heard from him, and no one had seen him since he had
parted with Dick on the evening after their journey to London, when they
had dined together and Jim had said he would bide his chance. If he were
to sink back now into what had seemed his old apathy, he would lose
Cicely again and she would lose her present chance of happiness.

The twins, informed by their mother that they must not go to the station
to meet Cicely, or even come down into the hall, but that she would come
up to them when she had seen her father, of course gathered, if they had
not gathered it before, that their elder sister was coming home in
disgrace, and spent their leisure time in devising methods to show that
they did not share in the disapprobation; in which they were alternately
encouraged and thwarted by Miss Bird, whose tender affection for Cicely
warred with her fear of the Squire's displeasure.

Mrs. Cli