r an evening which Lucilla perforce
rendered lively, she and her brother took their leave. The next day they
were to accompany the Charterises to Castle Blanch to prepare for the
festivities; Honor and her two young friends following on the Wednesday
afternoon.

CHAPTER VI

He who sits by haunted well
Is subject to the Nixie's spell;
He who walks on lonely beach
To the mermaid's charmed speech;
He who walks round ring of green
Offends the peevish Fairy Queen.--SCOTT

At the station nearest to Castle Blanch stood the tall form of Owen
Sandbrook, telling Honor that he and his sister had brought the boat; the
river was the longer way, but they would prefer it to the road; and so
indeed they did, for Phoebe herself had had enough of the City to
appreciate the cool verdure and calm stillness of the meadow pathway, by
which they descended to the majestic river, smoothly sleeping in glassy
quiet, or stealing along in complacently dimpling ripples.

On the opposite bank, shading off the sun, an oak copse sloped steeply
towards the river, painting upon the surface a still shimmering likeness
of the summit of the wood, every mass of foliage, every blushing spray
receiving a perfect counterpart, and full in the midst of the magic
mirror floated what might have been compared to the roseate queen lily of
the waters on her leaf.

There, in the flat, shallow boat reclined the maiden, leaning over the
gunwale, gazing into the summer wavelets with which one bare
pinkly-tinted hand was toying, and her silken ringlets all but dipping
in, from beneath the round black hat, archly looped up on one side by a
carnation bow, and encircled by a series of the twin jetty curls of the
mallard; while the fresh rose colour of the spreading muslin dress was
enhanced by the black scarf that hung carelessly over it. There was a
moment's pause, as if no one could break the spell; but Owen, striding on
from behind, quickly dissolved the enchantment.

'You monkey, you've cast off. You may float on to Greenwich next!' he
indignantly shouted.

She started, shaking her head saucily. ''Twas so slow there, and so
broiling,' she called back, 'and I knew I should only drift down to meet
you, and could put in when I pleased.'

Therewith she took the sculls and began rowing towards the bank, but
without force sufficient to prevent herself from being borne farther down
than she intended.

'I can't help it,' she exclaim