y growing more wild than ever for want of mamma,' said
Laura, trying to laugh it off, but there was so much annoyance evident
about her, that Dr. Mayerne said,--

'Seriously, I must apologize for my unlucky soliloquy; not that I
thought I was saying much harm, for I did not by any means say or
think the Captain wished Sir Guy any ill, and few men who stood next in
succession to such a property would be likely to forget it.'

'Yes, but Philip is not like other men,' said Charlotte, who, at
fourteen, had caught much of her brother's power of repartee, and could
be quite as provoking, when unrestrained by any one whom she cared to
obey.

Laura felt it was more for her dignity not to notice this, and replied,
with an effort for a laugh,--

'It must be your guilty conscience that sets you apologizing, for you
said no harm, as you observe.'

'Yes,' said Dr. Mayerne, good-humouredly. 'He does very well without it,
and no doubt he would be one of the first men in the country if he had
it; but it is in very good hands now, on the whole. I don't think, even
if the lad has been tempted into a little folly just now, that he can
ever go very far wrong.'

'No, indeed,' said Charlotte; 'but Charlie and I don't believe he has
done anything wrong.'

She spoke in a little surly decided tone, as if her opinion put an end
to the matter, and Philip's return closed the discussion.

Divided as the party were between up-stairs and down-stairs, and in
the absence of Charles's shrewd observation, Philip and Laura had more
opportunity of intercourse than usual, and now that his departure would
put an end to suspicion, they ventured on more openly seeking each
other. It never could be the perfect freedom that they had enjoyed
before the avowal of their sentiments, but they had many brief
conversations, giving Laura feverish, but exquisite, delight at each
renewal of his rare expressions of tenderness.

'What are you going to do to-day?' he asked, on the last morning before
he was to leave Hollywell. 'I must see you alone before I go.'

She looked down, and he kept his eyes fixed on her rather sternly, for
he had never before made a clandestine appointment, and he did not like
feeling ashamed of it. At last she said,--

'I go to East-hill School this afternoon. I shall come away at half-past
three.'

Mary Ross was still absent; her six nephews and nieces having taken
advantage of her visit to have the measles, not like reasonable
ch