and the girl drew back, growing
pale to her lips.

"Oh, he must be stopped! I can't do it. It is too dreadful!"

"Leave it to me. It's so seldom I can do anything--do let me help you
now. Go to your father, and leave all this to me." He led her forward,
unresisting, to the study, where her father greeted her with an
exclamation of relief.

"Ah, here you are, dear! Sit down. We must get to work at once on this
wretched business. I have sent off notes already to the vicar and the
curate, who will stop preparations at the church; the domestic
arrangements I must leave to you; and there will be notes to write to
all invited guests. Rayner will help, and Raymond also. I will draw up
a form which you can copy, but the letters must go off by the afternoon
post, so the sooner they are written the better. Newcome will be with
us before many hours are over--"

He broke off with a sigh, which Hilary echoed from the depths of an
aching heart.

"I will go at once and speak to the servants. I will set them to work
to put the house in order, and hide all the preparations out of sight,
and then come back here, and get the writing done first of all."

"That's my good girl!" said her father warmly; and they kissed each
other with sympathetic affection.

Poor Hilary! She had need of all her courage to enable her to go
through that morning's work. The servants received her orders with
tears of distress and disappointment Norah came stealing out of the room
with the news that Lettice had cried all night long, could not be
induced to eat, and lay on her bed icy cold and trembling as if with an
ague. Miss Carr was too much upset to be able to leave her bed, and
Geraldine's straightforward questions were for once agonising to the
listeners.

"Has Lettice been naughty?" she inquired. "Has Mr Newcome been
naughty? Will she never wear her pretty dresses? Shall I never wear my
dress? What shall we do with all the presents? Shall we have to send
back the cake?"

"Oh, Mouse, be quiet, for pity's sake!" cried Hilary in desperation.
"If you ask any more questions you must go to bed. It's very naughty
and unkind;" at which unexpected reproof Geraldine's eyes filled with
tears.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Hilary; I only thought if you
didn't want it, perhaps Miss Briggs's sister in Scarborough might like
some cake--"

"Come along with me, Mouse, and I'll give you a swing in the garden,"
said Mr Rayner, co