rselves that we are thus or thus." Cannot you fancy a man
getting utterly tired of himself and his own thoughts--knowing
himself by heart, and finding the lesson a dreary one? Perhaps not.
A girl's life seems all brightness. What should such happy young
creatures know of that arid waste of years that lies beyond a man's
thirtieth birthday, when his youth has not been a fortunate one? Ah,
there is a break in the sky yonder; the rain will be over
presently.'

The rain did cease, as he had prophesied. The dog-cart was brought
round to the door by a clumsy-looking man in corduroy, who seemed
half groom, half gardener; and Mr. Egerton drove us home; Milly
sitting next him, I at the back. His horse was very good one, and
the drive only lasted a quarter of an hour, during which time our
new acquaintance talked very pleasantly to both of us.

I could not forget that Mr. Darrell had called him a bad man; but in
spite of that sweeping condemnation I could not bring myself to
think of him without a certain interest.

Of course Milly and I discussed Mr. Egerton as we sat over our snug
little _tete-a-tete_ dinner, and we were both inclined to speak of his
blighted life in a pitying kind of way, and to blame his mother's
conduct, little as we knew of the details of the story. Our
existences were so quiet that this little incident made quite an
event, and we were apt to date things from that afternoon for some
time afterwards.

CHAPTER VII.

A LITTLE MATCH-MAKING.

We heard nothing of Mr. Egerton for about three weeks, at the end of
which time we were invited to dine at the Rectory. The first person
we saw on going into the long, low, old-fashioned drawing-room was
the master of Cumber Priory leaning against the mantelpiece in his
favourite attitude. The Rector was not in the room when we arrived,
and Angus Egerton was talking to Mrs. Collingwood, who sat in a low
chair near the fire.

'Mr. Egerton has been telling me about your adventure in the wood,
Milly,' Mrs. Collingwood said, as she rose to receive us. 'I hope it
will be a warning to you to be more careful in future. I think that
Cumber Wood is altogether too dangerous a place for two young ladies
like you and Miss Crofton.'

'The safest place in the world,' cried Angus Egerton. 'I shall
always be at hand to come to the ladies' assistance, and shall pray
for the timely appearance of an infuriated bull, in order that I may
distinguish myself by something novel i