ld not take his words as though
they signified nothing. His sudden return was a momentous fact to
her, putting her out of her usual quiet mode of thought. She said
little or nothing, and he, at any rate, did not observe that she was
confused; but she was herself so conscious of it, that it seemed to
her that all of them must have seen it.

Thus they sauntered along, back to the outskirts of the town, and so
into the brewery lane, by a route opposite to that of the churchyard.
The whole way they talked of nothing but the party. Was Miss Rowan
fond of dancing? Then by degrees the girls called her Mary, declaring
that as she was a cousin they intended so to do. And Luke said that
he ought to be called by his Christian name; and the two younger
girls agreed that he was entitled to the privilege, only they would
ask mamma first; and in this way they were becoming very intimate.
Rachel said but little, and perhaps not much that was said was
addressed specially to her, but she seemed to feel that she was
included in the friendliness of the gathering. Every now and then
Luke Rowan would address her, and his voice was pleasant to her ears.
He had made an effort to walk next to her,--an attempt almost too
slight to be called an effort, which she had, almost unconsciously,
frustrated, by so placing herself that Augusta should be between
them. Augusta was not quite in a good humour, and said one or two
words which were slightly snubbing in their tendency; but this was
more than atoned for by Cherry's high good-humour.

When they reached the brewery they all declared themselves to be very
much astonished on learning that it was already past nine. Rachel's
surprise, at any rate, was real. "I must go home at once," she
said; "I don't know what mamma will think of me." And then, wishing
them all good-bye, without further delay she hurried on into the
churchyard.

"I'll see you safe through the ghosts at any rate," said Rowan.

"I'm not a bit afraid of churchyard ghosts," said Rachel, moving on.
But Rowan followed her.

"I've got to go into town to meet your father," said he to the other
girls, "and I'll be back with him."

Augusta saw with some annoyance that he had overtaken Rachel before
she had passed over the stile, and stood lingering at the door long
enough to be aware that Luke was over first. "That girl is a flirt,
after all," she said to her sister Martha.

Luke was over the stile first, and then turned round to assis