t!

This thought made her quicken her pace so that at last she arrived at
the terrace breathless with running; and having deposited her bag in
safety, she came out again from the secret passage and got hastily to
the house.

But there was no sign of a telegram in the hall, and she mounted to find
Priscilla in her room, which she discovered to be in great disorder, her
few clothes lying about on every available space.

"Oh, my lamb, where have you been?" the elderly woman exclaimed. "At
four o'clock who should come in a fly from the Applewood station but
your step-father's wife! She was staying at Upminster, and says she
thought she would come over and see you--and now it's settled that we go
back with her to London to-morrow. Think of it, my lamb! You and me to
see the world!" Then she cried in fear: "My precious, what is it?"

For Halcyone, overwrought and overcome, had staggered to a chair and,
falling into it, had buried her face in her hands.

CHAPTER XXI

Mrs. James Anderton was seated in the Italian parlor with the two
ancient hostesses when Halcyone at last came into their midst. They had
evidently exhausted all possible topics of conversation and were
extremely glad of an interruption.

Miss La Sarthe had been growing more and more annoyed at her
great-niece's lengthy absence, while Miss Roberta felt so nervous she
would like to have sniffed at her vinaigrette, but, alas! the stern eye
of her sister was upon her and she dared not.

Mrs. James Anderton--good, worthy woman--had not passed an agreeable
afternoon either. She felt herself hopelessly out of tune with the two
old ladies, whose exquisitely reserved polished manners disconcerted
her.

She had been made to feel--most delicately, it is true, but still
unmistakably--that she had committed a breach of taste in thus
descending upon La Sarthe Chase unannounced. And instead of the
sensation of complacent importance which she usually enjoyed when among
her own friends and acquaintances, she was experiencing a depressed
sense of being a very small personage indeed.

Her highly colored comely face was very hot and flushed and she rather
restlessly played with her parasol handle. Miss La Sarthe's voice grew a
little acid as she said:

"This is our great-niece, Halcyone La Sarthe, Mrs. Anderton"--and
then--"It is unfortunate that you should have been so long absent,
child."

"I am very sorry," Halcyone returned gently, and she shook hands. Sh