ctionately patted Beatrice's hand.

Queen Bee's heart was very full, but she knew that to give way to
the expression of her feelings would be hurtful to Fred, and she only
pressed her aunt's long thin fingers very earnestly, and turned her face
to the fire, while she struggled down the rising emotion. There was
a little silence, and when they began to talk again, it was of the
engravings at which Fred had just been looking. The visit lasted till
the dressing bell rang, when Beatrice was obliged to go, and she shook
hands with Fred, saying cheerfully, "Well, good-bye, I hope you will be
better friends with the doctors next time I see you."

"Never will I like one inch of a doctor, never!" repeated Fred, as she
left the room, and ran to snatch what moments she could with her mamma
in the space allowed for dressing.

Grandmamma was happy that evening, for, except poor Frederick's own
place, there were no melancholy gaps at the dinner-table. He had Bennet
to sit with him, and besides, there was within call the confidential old
man-servant, who had lived so many years at Rocksand, and in whom both
Fred and his mother placed considerable dependence.

Everything looked like recovery; Mrs. Frederick Langford came down and
talked and smiled like her own sweet self; Mrs. Geoffrey Langford was
ready to hear all the news, old Mr. Langford was quite in spirits again,
Henrietta was bright and lively. The thought of long days in London with
Lady Susan, and of long evenings with no mamma, and with papa either
writing or at his chambers, began from force of contrast to seem doubly
like banishment to poor little Queen Bee, but whatever faults she had,
she was no repiner. "I deserve it," said she to herself, "and surely
I ought to bear my share of the trouble my wilfulness has occasioned.
Besides, with even one little bit of papa's company I am only too well
off."

So she smiled, and answered grandpapa in her favourite style, so that no
one would have guessed from her demeanour that a task had been imposed
upon her which she so much disliked, and in truth her thoughts were
much more on others than on herself. She saw all hopeful and happy about
Fred, and as to her aunt, when she saw her as usual with all her playful
gentleness, she could not think that there was anything seriously
amiss with her, or if there was, mamma would find out and set it all to
rights. Then how soothing and comforting, now that the first acute pain
of remorse