rs Freer was unmistakably impressed.

The little head in the large black bonnet approached Mr Bertrand's in
confidential fashion. Norah watched the smile of pleasure on her
father's face, followed by the usual pucker of the brows with which he
was wont to receive a difficult question. Mrs Freer was evidently
approaching the subject of the professor from Lancaster, and presently,
oh, joy! the frown passed away, he was leaning forward, clasping his
hands round his knees, and listening with an air of pleased attention.

"Mr Freer is quite willing to allow Edna to take lessons, even if they
should be rather expensive, for the poor child frets at being separated
from her friends, and she is not strong enough to remain at school. She
could not come here to have her lesson, I am afraid, for she is only
allowed to go out when the weather is mild and sunny; but if you would
allow Norah to come to us for the day, once a fortnight (fortnightly
lessons would be quite enough, don't you think?), it would be a real
pleasure to have her. She would have to stay for the night, of course,
for it is too far to come and go in one day, but Edna would be all the
more charmed! It would be a charity to the poor child!"

"You are very good. It sounds feasible. If you will be kind enough to
make inquiries, I shall be happy to fall in with your arrangements. And
now let me give you some tea."

Half an hour later the carriage was brought round again, for the nights
grew dark so soon that it was necessary to make an early start on the
ten-mile drive. Rex hobbled down the hall on his sticks, escorted by
the entire Bertrand family, for the week of his visit had seemed to
place him on the standing of a familiar friend, and the Mouse shed tears
when he kissed her in the porch, while Lettice looked the picture of
woe. Norah was the most cheerful of all, for Rex whispered in her
ear--"I'll keep them up to the mark about the lessons. We will have
some good times together when you come over, and--I say!--I impressed
upon your father that you were awfully clever; you'll have to do as much
for me, and convince mine that I am too stupid to do any good at
college--!"

"Oh, I will!" said Norah emphatically. "I will! Good-bye. I'm most
fearfully obliged!" She stood on the path waving her hand and nodding
farewells so long as the carriage remained in sight. It seemed as if
her wish were to be fulfilled indeed, and the thought of the new friends