n going to say, but something in Jerry's face stopped me. He
looked rather grave; not that he was ever anything but quiet.

'No,' he said, 'I only wish they _were_ all back, or likely to come. I'm
afraid there's no chance of it. The doctors out there won't hear of it
this year at all. Just when father was hoping to arrange for coming back
soon, they found out something or other unsatisfactory about him, and
now it is settled that he must stay out of England another whole year at
least. They are speaking of Algeria or Egypt for next winter.'

My face fell. I was on the point of crying. Gerard looked very
sympathising.

'I did not myself mind it so much till I came down here,' he said. 'But
it is so lonely and dull at Moor Court. I hope you will let me come here
a great deal, Mrs. Wingfield. I mean to work hard at my foreign
languages these holidays--it will give me something to do. You see it
wasn't worth while my going out to Hyeres for only three weeks, and I
hoped even they might be coming back. So I asked to come down here. I
didn't think it could be so dull.'

'You are all alone at home?' said grandmamma. 'Yes, it must be very
lonely. I shall be delighted to read with you as much as you like. I am
not very busy.'

'Thank you,' said Gerard. 'Well, I only hope you won't have too much of
me. May I stay to tea to-day?'

'Certainly,' said grandmamma. But I noticed--I don't think Gerard
did--that her face had grown rather anxious-looking as he spoke. 'If
you like,' she went on, 'we can glance over your books, some of them are
still here, and settle on a little work at once.'

'All right,' said he. But then he added, rather abruptly, 'You are not
looking well, Mrs. Wingfield? I think you have got thinner. And Helena
looks rather white, though she has not grown much.'

I felt vexed at his saying I had not grown much.

'It's no wonder I am white,' I said in a surly tone. 'I have been mewed
up in the house almost ever since Sharley and all of them went away.'

And then grandmamma explained about my having been ill.

'I'm very sorry,' said Jerry, 'but you look worse than Helena, Mrs.
Wingfield.'

I felt crosser and crosser. I fancied he meant to reproach me with
grandmamma's looking ill, even though it made me uneasy too. I glanced
at her--a faint pink flush had come over her face at his words.

'_I_ don't think granny looks ill at all,' I said.

'No, indeed, I am very well,' she said, with a smile.

Gerard s