ah noticed, to her annoyance, that all three were dressed in the
clothes they had worn for the picnic. 'Oh, you haven't changed! I have;
that's why I am late.'

'We were all too upset to think of dress; we're not like you, above
caring about these things,' said her father bitterly.

'Sarah thought you wouldn't like to see 'er in 'er dusty clothes, Mark;
an' I would 'ave changed too, only I was so tired I thought you'd excuse
me; an' Miss 'Oratia 'ere was too kind to leave me alone, my nerves bein'
upset,' put in Mrs Clay in order to shield her daughter, and really
making things worse by contrasting Sarah's conduct with Horatia's.

'Yes, she's a good, kind lass, is Miss Horatia,' said Mr Clay, giving her
a friendly look, as he pressed some favourite dish of his on her.

Sarah had dreaded dinner, being of the same opinion as Naomi that her
father would be upset. Indeed, he had looked very much upset and ready
for an explosion when she left him in his study; but it was 'Horatia
again,' she said to herself, and she thought angrily that Horatia cared
nothing about those poor people who had got themselves into trouble.

She was angrier still when Horatia replied, 'I'm not at all good or kind
at this minute, for I should like to put all those people I saw in the
park into prison.'

'You'll have your wish before long, little lass, for that's where they'll
all be,' said Mr Clay.

'Oh, but I shall be very sorry if they really do go to prison. I only
wished it from revenge, and, of course, that's a very wrong motive,'
cried Horatia. She looked across at Sarah to help her; but Sarah would
not look at her friend or join in the conversation at all.

'I don't know whether it's a wrong motive or not, but I do know that it's
necessary to punish those wretches for destroying my property; and
punished they will be,' Mr Clay replied.

'There wasn't many o' 'em really doin' that, Mark,' said Mrs Clay
timidly.

'They were doing as bad, standing by watching the destruction; and I'll
have every man of them clapped into prison,' said the millionaire.

Mrs Clay said no more, and Horatia began to chatter about other things,
amusing both Mr and Mrs Clay by her shrewd remarks.

Sarah sat sullenly by, and when dinner was over she went straight up to
her room instead of joining the others in the drawing-room. 'They prefer
Horatia to me, so let them have her. I'm sure she's welcome to do
daughter,' Sarah said to herself. Perhaps finding h