h scarlet? Why did her hand tremble a little
as she put down her cup? Philip lost the thread of the conversation for
a minute or two, and simply looked at her. Then Margaret quietly took
down a screen from the mantel-piece and began to fan herself. "It is
rather hot here, don't you think?" she said, serenely. "The fire makes
one feel quite uncomfortable."

"It _is_ a large one," said Sir Philip, with conviction. "Shall I take
any of the coal off for you? No? Well, as I was saying, I wished to
speak to you about your friend, Miss Colwyn."

"She has lost her father lately, poor thing," said Margaret,
conversationally. "She has been very unhappy."

"Yes, and for more reasons than one. You have not seen her, I conclude,
since his death?"

"No, he died in August or September, did he not? It is close upon
December now--what a long time we have been away! Poor Janetta!--how
glad she will be to see me!"

"I am sure she will. But it would be just as well for you to hear
beforehand that her father's death has brought great distress upon the
family. I have had some talk with friends of his, and I find that he
left very little money behind."

"How sad for them! But--they have not removed?--they are still at their
old house: I thought everything was going on as usual," said Margaret,
in a slightly puzzled tone.

"The house belongs to them, so they might as well live in it. Two or
three of the family have got situations of some kind--one child is in a
charitable institution, I believe."

"Oh, how dreadful! Like Lady Ashley's Orphanage?" said Margaret,
shrinking a little.

"No, no; nothing of that kind--an educational establishment, to which he
has got a nomination. But the mother and the two or three children are
still at home, and I believe that their income is not more than a
hundred a year."

Sir Philip was considerably above the mark. But the mention of even a
hundred a year, though not a large income, produced little impression
upon Margaret.

"That is not very much, is it?" she said, gently.

"Much! I should think not," said Sir Philip, driven almost to
discourtesy by the difficulty of making her understand. "Four or five
people to live upon it and keep up a position! It is semi-starvation and
misery."

"But, Sir Philip, does not Janetta give lessons? I should have thought
she could make a perfect fortune by her music alone. Hasn't she tried to
get something to do?"

"Yes, indeed, poor girl, she has. My moth