l this the long evening passed away, and at eleven
o'clock she heard the coming steps across the garden. The young men
had, of course, accompanied the girls home; and as she stepped out
from the still open window of her own drawing-room, she saw them all
on the centre of the lawn before her.

"There's mamma," said Lily. "Mamma, Mr Crosbie wants to play croquet
by moonlight."

"I don't think there is light enough for that," said Mrs Dale.

"There is light enough for him," said Lily, "for he plays quite
independently of the hoops; don't you, Mr Crosbie?"

"There's very pretty croquet light, I should say," said Mr Crosbie,
looking up at the bright moon; "and then it is so stupid going to
bed."

"Yes, it is stupid going to bed," said Lily; "but people in the
country are stupid, you know. Billiards, that you can play all night
by gas, is much better, isn't it?"

"Your arrows fall terribly astray there, Miss Dale, for I never touch
a cue; you should talk to your cousin about billiards."

"Is Bernard a great billiard player?" asked Bell.

"Well, I do play now and again; about as well as Crosbie does
croquet. Come, Crosbie, we'll go home and smoke a cigar."

"Yes," said Lily; "and then, you know, we stupid people can go to
bed. Mamma, I wish you had a little smoking-room here for us. I don't
like being considered stupid." And then they parted,--the ladies
going into the house, and the two men returning across the lawn.

"Lily, my love," said Mrs Dale, when they were all together in her
bedroom, "it seems to me that you are very hard upon Mr Crosbie."

"She has been going on like that all the evening," said Bell.

"I'm sure we are very good friends," said Lily.

"Oh, very!" said Bell.

"Now, Bell, you're jealous; you know you are." And then, seeing that
her sister was in some slight degree vexed, she went up to her and
kissed her. "She shan't be called jealous; shall she, mamma?"

"I don't think she deserves it," said Mrs Dale.

"Now, you don't mean to say that you think I meant anything?" said
Lily. "As if I cared a buttercup about Mr Crosbie."

"Or I either, Lily."

"Of course you don't. But I do care for him very much, mamma. He is
such a duck of an Apollo. I shall always call him Apollo; Phoebus
Apollo! And when I draw his picture he shall have a mallet in his
hand instead of a bow. Upon my word I am very much obliged to Bernard
for bringing him down here; and I do wish he was not going away the
day af