elf in any way. She shall be in my mother's care. All she
will have to do is to trust to me----"

"I think we need hardly trouble you, Mr. Brand," said another voice.
"Margaret will be better in the care of her own mother than in that of
Mrs. Brand or yourself."

Lady Caroline Adair stood on the threshold. Lady Caroline addressed the
little group, on which a sudden chill and silence fell for a moment, as
if her appearance heralded some portentous crash of doom. The door had
been left ajar when Margaret entered; it was not easy to say how much of
the conversation Lady Caroline had heard. Mrs. Brand started up;
Margaret turned very pale and drew back, while Wyvis came closer to her
and put his arm round her with an air of protective defiance. Janetta
drew a quick breath of relief. A disagreeable scene would follow she
knew well; and there were probably unpleasant times in store for
Margaret, but these were preferable to the course of rebellion, open or
secret, to which the girl was being incited by her too ardent lover.

Janetta never admired Lady Caroline so much as she did just then.
Margaret's mother was the last person to show discomposure. She sat down
calmly, although no one had asked her to take a chair, and smilingly
adjusted the lace shawl which she had thrown round her graceful figure.
There were no signs of haste or agitation in her appearance. She wore a
very elegant and becoming dress, a Paris bonnet on her head, a pair of
French gloves on her slender hands. She became at once the centre of the
group, the ornamental point on which all eyes were fixed. Every one else
was distressed, frightened, or angry; but Lady Caroline's pleasing smile
and little air of society was not for one moment to be disturbed.

"It is really very late for a call," she said, quietly, "but as I found
that my daughter was passing this way, I thought I would follow her
example and take the opportunity of paying a visit to Mrs. Brand. It is
not, however, the first time that we have met."

She looked graciously towards Mrs. Brand, but that poor woman was
shaking in every limb. Janetta put her arms round Mrs. Brand's
shoulders. What did Lady Caroline mean? She had some purpose to fulfil,
or she would not sit so quietly, pretending not to notice that her
daughter was holding Wyvis Brand by the hand and that one of his arms
was round her waist. There was something behind that fixed, agreeable
smile.

"No," said Lady Caroline, reflective