eated for gladness, for rejoicing, and Toni, made wise by love,
banished wistfulness from her eyes and returned Owen's kiss with a gay
word of farewell.

But she stood looking after him as the car whizzed down the avenue; and
the smile which touched her lips was just a little sad.

CHAPTER IX

When Owen was safely gone Toni entered the house with a look of
determination on her face, and retreating to the little white-panelled
room known as the morning-room she rang the bell to summon Kate to her
presence.

It was not Kate who answered the ring, however. In her stead came
Maggie, the rosy-faced housemaid, who had already fallen in love with
her young mistress, and was ready to carry out any order which Mrs. Rose
might give.

"Oh, it's you, Maggie?" Toni looked up from the paper on which she was
scribbling. "Where's Kate?"

It seemed Kate was busy, poulticing Mrs. Blades, who was suffering under
one of her usual attacks of bronchitis, and she had sent Maggie, with
apologies, in her stead.

"Mrs. Blades is really ill? Had she better see a doctor?"

No, Maggie was empowered by Kate to say that a doctor's visit was
unnecessary. Mrs. Blades often had these attacks, and they knew just
what to do; but she would not be able to attend to her duties for a
couple of days at the least.

In spite of herself Toni's face brightened. Not that she wished Mrs.
Blades to suffer, but she knew quite well that the old housekeeper, for
all her respectful ways, resented the arrival of a mistress of whom, for
some reason, she did not approve; and Toni felt rather glad that for
to-day, at any rate, she could be in reality the mistress of the whole
establishment.

With the other servants she was on the best of terms. Whatever Mrs.
Blades might think of Toni's social position previous to her marriage
she was sufficiently loyal to keep her doubts to herself; and Martha the
cook, Kate the serious parlourmaid, and Andrews the young man-servant,
one and all combined to make their new mistress feel at ease with her
staff.

Maggie, to-day, was full of importance at being allowed to replace Kate
to assist Toni in her preparation for the afternoon's visitor; and she
listened attentively to all that Toni had to say.

"I want a really nice tea, Maggie!" Toni looked up from her list with a
serious face. "Miss Gibbs has to catch an early train from town, and
won't have time for much lunch." Even the unsophisticated Toni knew
better tha