r."

"I'm very glad to make your acquaintance," said Rachel.

"He told me that you would have been sure to come and walk with us,
and we have all been saying that you had disappeared."

"I have been kept at home," said Rachel, who could not help
remembering all the words of the churchyard interview, and feeling
them down to her finger nails. He must have known why she had not
again joined the girls from the brewery in their walks. Or had he
forgotten that he had called her Rachel, and held her fast by the
hand? Perhaps he did these things so often to other girls that he
thought nothing of them!

"You have been keeping yourself up for the ball," said Rowan.
"Precious people are right to make themselves scarce. And now what
vacancies have you got for me?"

"Vacancies!" said Rachel.

"You don't mean to say you've got none. Look here, I've kept all
these on purpose for you, although twenty girls have begged me to
dispose of them in their favour."

"Oh, Luke, how can you tell such fibs?" said his sister.

"Well;--here they are," and he showed his card.

"I'm not engaged to anybody," said Rachel; "except for one quadrille
to Mr. Cornbury,--that gentleman who just went away."

"Then you've no excuse for not filling up my vacancies,--kept on
purpose for you, mind." And immediately her name was put down for she
knew not what dances. Then he took her card and scrawled his own name
on it in various places. She knew that she was weak to let him thus
have his way in everything; but he was strong and she could not
hinder him.

She was soon left with Mary Rowan, as Luke went off to fulfil the
first of his numerous engagements. "Do you like my brother?" said
she. "But of course I don't mean you to answer that question. We all
think him so very clever."

"I'm sure he is very clever."

"A great deal too clever to be a brewer. But you mustn't say that I
said so. I wanted him to go into the army."

"I shouldn't at all like that for my brother--if I had one."

"And what would you like?"

"Oh, I don't know. I never had a brother;--perhaps to be a
clergyman."

"Yes; that would be very nice; but Luke would never be a clergyman.
He was going to be an attorney, but he didn't like that at all. He
says there's a great deal of poetry in brewing beer, but of course
he's only quizzing us. Oh, here's my partner. I do so hope I shall
see you very often while I'm at Baslehurst." Then Rachel was alone,
but Mrs. Tappitt came up to