odly?
Will the next train be soon enough?'

'Don't, Mervyn! Your friends go to-day, don't they? Mr. Crabbe does not
desire any change to be made before he comes to see about it. May we not
stay till that time, and spend our Christmas together?'

'You must ask Robert and Juliana, since you prefer them.'

'No,' said Phoebe, with spirit; 'it is right to attend to my elder
sisters, and Robert has always helped and taught me, and I must trust his
guidance, as I always have done. And I trust you too, Mervyn. You never
thought you were doing us any harm. I may trust you still,' she added,
with so sweet and imploring a look that Mervyn gave an odd laugh, with
some feeling in it.

'Harm? Great harm I have done this creature, eh?' he said, with his hand
on her shoulder.

'Few could do _her_ harm, Mr. Fulmort,' said the governess, 'but report
may have done some mischief.

'Who cares for report! I say, Phoebe, we will laugh at them all. You
pluck up a spirit, stay with me, and we'll entertain all the county, and
then get some great swell to bring you out in town, and see what Juliana
will say!'

'I will stay with you while you are alone, and Mr. Crabbe lets me,' said
Phoebe.

'Old fool of a fellow! Why couldn't my father have made me your
guardian, and then there would have been none of this row! One would
think I had had her down to act barmaid to the fellows. And you never
spoke to one, did you, Phoebe?'

'Only now and then to Mr. Hastings. I could not help it after the day he
came into the study when I was copying for you.'

'Ah, well! that is nothing--nobody minds old Jack. I shall let them all
know you were as safe as a Turk's wife in a harem, and maybe old Crabbe
will hear reason if we get him down here alone, without a viper at each
ear, as he had last time.'

With which words Mervyn departed, and Miss Fennimore exclaimed in some
displeasure, 'You can never think of remaining, Phoebe.'

'I am afraid not,' said Phoebe; 'Mervyn does not seem to know what is
proper for us, and I am too young to judge, so I suppose we must go. I
wish I could make him happy with music, or books, or anything a woman
could do! If you please, I think I must go over to the Holt. I cannot
settle to anything just yet, and I shall answer my letters better when I
have seen Miss Charlecote.'

In fact Phoebe felt herself going to her other guardian; but as she left
the room, Bertha came hurriedly in from the garden, with a