Celestina, for a few minutes,' and in a moment Celestina
gathered together her small concerns and noiselessly left the room.

'How obedient she is,' said Mrs. Vane with a little sigh. 'I should have
had quite an argument with Biddy, or at least cross looks.'

'Children are very different,' said Mrs. Fairchild. 'Still there is not
much you can do with them without obedience. And if they get the habit
of it quite young, it costs them so much less; they obey almost without
thinking about it.'

'And have you seen Miss Neale?' asked Mrs. Vane after a little pause.

'She came to see me yesterday, and I think it can be nicely arranged.
She is a very good girl: I feel sure you will be pleased with her. The
only difficulty would have been her promise about Celestina, which she
would not have liked to give up; but what you have so kindly proposed
puts this all right of course. It will be a great pleasure and interest
to Celestina to learn with a companion. I feel that I cannot thank you
enough.'

'On the contrary,' said Mrs. Vane, 'I have to thank you. I am in hopes
that your little daughter's companionship will be of great good to
Bridget.'

Mrs. Fairchild's gentle face grew a little red.

'I think I may at least assure you of this,' she said, 'little Miss
Bridget will learn no harm from Celestina.'

'I am sure of it,' said Mrs. Vane warmly. 'By the bye,' she added,
'Celestina is a very uncommon name. I have never heard it except in its
French form of "Celestine."'

'Celestina was named after a French lady,' said Mrs. Fairchild--'a lady
who was very kind to my sisters and me when we were young. She happened
to be living near the town where our home was for some years. Her
husband had an appointment there. They had only one child, a daughter
named Celestine like her mother, who died, and my mother helped to nurse
her in her last illness, which made Madame d'Ermont very fond of her.
Indeed, I think she was very fond of us all,' she added with a little
smile, 'and I think I was a special pet of hers. Through her kindness
I had many advantages in my education. But when she and Monsieur, as we
always called him, went back to France troublous times came on. We lost
sight of them altogether. Still, I have never forgotten the dear lady,
and I determined to give my little girl her name.'

Mrs. Vane listened with the greatest interest.

'"Madame d'Ermont," did you say?' she asked eagerly, and on Mrs.
Fairchild's answering 'Ye