ver had seen the good of their being so inseparable,
but of course, his opinion on the subject had never been considered,"
etc.,--which last remark was rather uncalled for, as few heads of
families have their womankind in better order than Colonel Rolleston.

A straw will show which way the wind blows. His wife listened with some
uneasiness, for she had always hoped the Colonel tacitly approved the
attachment between their respective relatives, which to her appeared so
evident. She could only trust this was but a pettish effusion from their
prolonged absence, and determined to guard against such causes of offence
for the future.

But still they did not come. It was dark--it was dinner-time--it really
was too bad. At last a faint tinkle of sleigh-bells was followed by a
slight commotion in the hall. The servant was assisting Bertie into the
smoking-room, for he elected to lie on the sofa there, and thus avoid the
worry of questions and alarms.

Colonel Rolleston was too grand and angry to evince any curiosity by
coming out, and Mrs. Rolleston, after receiving a hasty explanation from
Cecil, sent her back to the drawing-room, and took charge of her brother,
who was having his boot cut off, and in considerable pain.

There was not much resemblance in character or sympathy between the
brothers-in-law; but they had hitherto avoided clashing. Now, however,
the Colonel's outraged feelings of propriety wound him up to the
determination of administering a solemn rebuke to Du Meresq, and he stood
on that coign of advantage, the hearthrug, waiting to deliver it.

Cecil came in for the first tide of wrath, somewhat to her surprise; but,
dreading her companionship with Bertie being prohibited, exerted
considerable tact to smooth her father down, and especially made light of
the accident, which she perceived was an aggravation of the offence.

"Not content with making my daughter conspicuous, he hadn't even the
sense to keep out of scrapes himself," etc.

Mrs. Rolleston glanced interrogatively at Cecil as they met on the
stairs. I don't know what answer her countenance conveyed, but they made
simultaneously the same suggestion,--"Let us get Miss Prosody to dine
down." They both knew that without the addition of an unoffending third
the subject would be harped on all the evening.

Mrs. Rolleston was an excellent housekeeper; and the well-served repast,
aided by the judicious conversation of the ladies, exercised a most
soothin