ars, you understand, but so far as this planet goes,--hey? Ha!
well, have you made your choice, Young Sir?"

Hugh pointed out a gray silk, with a pretty purple figure. "That is the
very best thing for my great-aunt," he said.

"That will fill her with delirious rapture, and it will not put out the
eyes of anybody. We shall all be happy with that silk."

So in they went to the shop, and Hugh bought the silk, and the Colonel
paid for it, and then they all went off to the Metropolitan, and spent
the rest of the morning in great joy.

CHAPTER V.

AT THE EXCHANGE.

"AND how have you spent the morning, my dear?" asked Mrs. Delansing.

They were sitting at the luncheon-table. Hildegarde could just see the
tip of her aunt's cap above the old-fashioned epergne which occupied the
centre of the table; but her tone sounded cheerful, and Hildegarde
hastened to tell of her delightful morning. She had enjoyed herself so
heartily that she made the recital with joyful eagerness, forgetting for
the moment that she was not speaking to her mother, who always enjoyed
her good times rather more than she did herself; but a sudden
exclamation from Mrs. Delansing brought her to a sudden realisation of
her position.

"What!" exclaimed the old lady, and at her tone the very ferns seemed to
stiffen. "What are you telling me, Hildegarde? You have been spending
the morning with--with a gentleman, and that gentleman--"

"Colonel Ferrers!" said Hildegarde, hastily, fearing that she had not
been understood. "Surely you know Colonel Ferrers, Aunt Emily."

"I _do_ know Thomas Ferrers!" replied Mrs. Delansing, with awful
severity; "but I do _not_ know why--I must add that I am at a loss to
imagine _how_--my niece should have been careering about the streets of
New York with Thomas Ferrers or any other young man."

Hildegarde was speechless for a moment; indeed, Mrs. Delansing only
paused to draw breath, and then went on.

"That your mother holds many dangerous and levelling opinions I am
aware; but that she could in any degree countenance anything so--so
monstrous as this, I refuse to believe. I shall consider it my duty to
write to her immediately, and inform her of what you have done."

Hildegarde was holding fast to the arms of her chair, and saying over
and over to herself, "Never speak suddenly or sharply to an old
person!" It was one of her mother's maxims, and she had never needed it
before; but now it served to keep her stil