minutes, and everything would be all right."

"That's it," said Patty. "Everything would be all right."

CHAPTER XXV.

"YOU ARE NOT TO TELL."

Pauline was certainly better, although she was not what she was before.
In body she was to all appearance quite well. She ate heartily, took long
walks, and slept soundly at night; but she was dull. She seldom laughed;
she took little interest in anything. As to the sea, she had a positive
horror of it. When she went out for walks she invariably chose inland
directions. She liked to walk briskly over the great moors which surround
Easterhaze, and to sit there and think, though nobody knew what she was
thinking about. Her face now and then looked pathetic, but on the whole
it was indifferent. Miss Tredgold was much concerned. She made up her
mind.

"The seaside is doing the child no good," she thought. "I will take her
straight back home. She is certainly not herself; she got a much greater
shock than we knew of or had any idea of. When she gets home the sight of
the other children and the old place will rouse her. She is not
consumptive at the present moment. That is one thing to be thankful for.
I shall take her to London for the winter. If going back to The Dales
does not arouse her, she must go somewhere else, for roused she certainly
must be."

Miss Tredgold, having made up her mind, spoke to Verena.

"We are going home to-morrow, Verena," she said.

"And a very good thing," answered the young girl.

"Do you really think so?"

"I do, Aunt Sophy. Pauline has got all she can get out of the sea at
present. She does not love the sea; she is afraid of it. She may be
better when she is home."

"And yet she is well," said Miss Tredgold. "The doctor pronounces her in
perfect health."

"In body she is certainly well," said Verena.

"Oh, then, you have observed it?"

"Yes, I have," replied Verena slowly. "There is some part of her stunned.
I can't make out myself what ails her, but there is undoubtedly one part
of her stunned."

"We will take her home," said Miss Tredgold.

The good lady was a person of very direct action and keen resource. She
had whisked Pauline and Verena off to the sea almost at a moment's
notice, and quite as quickly she brought them back. They were all glad to
go. Even Pen was pleased. Pen looked very still and solemn and contented
during these days. She sat close to Pauline and looked into her eyes over
and over again; and Pauline n