she thoroughly
understood what she had been learning, and he set her then a little
more. By the time their work was over he had not a doubt left that
suchlike intellectual occupation would greatly subserve all phases of
her health. With entireness she gave herself to the thing she had to
do; and Donal thought how strong must be her nature, to work so calmly,
and think so clearly, after what she had gone through that morning.

School over, and Davie gone to his rabbits.

"Mistress Brookes invites us to supper with her," said lady Arctura. "I
asked her to ask us. I don't want to go to bed till I am quite sleepy.
You don't mind, do you?"

"I am very glad, my lady," responded Donal.

"Don't you think we had better tell her all about it?"

"As you think fit. The secret is in no sense mine; it is only yours;
and the sooner it ceases to be a secret the better for all of us!"

"I have but one reason for keeping it," she returned.

"Your uncle?"

"Yes; I know he will be annoyed. But there may be other reasons why I
should reveal the thing."

"There may indeed!" said Donal.

"Still, I should be sorry to offend him more than I cannot help. If he
were a man like my father, I should never dream of going against him; I
should in fact leave everything to him he cared to attend to. But
seeing he is the man he is, it would be absurd. I dare not let him
manage my affairs for me much longer. I must understand for myself how
things are going."

"You will not, I hope, arrange anything without the presence of a
lawyer! I fear I have less confidence in your uncle than you have!"

Arctura made no reply, and Donal was afraid he had hurt her; but the
next moment she looked up with a sad smile, and said,

"Well, poor man! we will not compare our opinions of him: he is my
father's brother, and I shall be glad not to offend him. But my father
would have reason to be dissatisfied if I left everything to my uncle
as if he had not left everything to me. If he had been another sort of
man, my father would surely have left the estate to him!"

At nine o'clock they met in the housekeeper's room--low-ceiled, large,
lined almost round with oak presses, which were mistress Brookes's
delight. She welcomed them as to her own house, and made an excellent
hostess.

But Donal would not mix the tumbler of toddy she would have had him
take. For one thing he did not like his higher to be operated upon from
his lower: it made him feel as if posse