How altered Miss Gwynne is,' said one; 'I suppose the birth of the
brother has made her more humble.'

'Nothing like London to pull the pride out of our country gentry,' said
a second. 'Lords at home, they are only one of a multitude there. Miss
Gwynne has learnt her true position at last.'

'How much more agreeable Miss Gwynne is,' said a fourth. 'I suppose it
is because she has been living in a clergyman's family, where they are
obliged to be pleasant to all the parishioners.'

'How much less fastidious, satirical, and overbearing Freda Gwynne is,'
a fourth; 'her very countenance is altered; I am sure there has been
some great change in her mind.'

And thus the neighbours rang the changes upon Freda's change; but Mrs
Gwynne Vaughan had been, perhaps, the nearest to the real cause. She was
no longer satirical, no longer striving to find out vulnerable points in
people's characters to laugh at; she had learnt to make allowances for
others, who in turn made allowances for her. Satirical people are very
amusing, but rarely welcome, companions; not that Freda was exactly
satirical, but she had the gift of finding out every one's weak
points--a good gift to those who will kindly cover the point, but a bad
one to such as like to lay it bare.

The party at Abertewey went off very well; the colonel was in good
humour, and devoted to Freda, who tried to treat him as her
brother-in-law; and Sir Hugh was more gallant than ever, and long before
the evening was over, had managed to tell Freda that he would rather
have her without the Park than with it, which Freda pretended to take as
a joke on the part of her old admirer.

The following day, Mr and Mrs Jones spent at the Park, according to a
special invitation from its master and mistress. Lady Mary's attention
to Freda's friends did more towards reconciling her to her step-mother
than anything else; and she even forgot to ask whether it was tact or
not. Mr Jones was obliged to return to London the next day, but at
Freda's earnest entreaty, he left his wife behind him for a week, which
was spent by her between the Park and farm very agreeably.

Before she left, Mr Gwynne had a little private conference with her, to
the following effect, and very nervous he was meanwhile:--

'I am very much obliged to you and Mr Jones, I am sure, for your
kindness to Freda. I hope you understand how satisfied, and--and--all
that sort of thing, you know, I am whilst she is with you.'

Mrs