even a small ailment in one of her children always called
forth her motherly solicitude.

But Geraldine held another opinion. Audrey never took cold; she had
often got wet through in Scotland, and it had never hurt her. She
thought it more probable that Audrey was troubled about
something--perhaps she missed Michael, or--then she paused, and looked
at her mother with significance--perhaps, who knows? she might even be a
little hurt at Mr. Blake's desertion. For a certain little bird--that
fabulous winged purveyor of gossip, dear to the feminine mind--had
whispered into young Mrs. Harcourt's ear a most curious story. It was
said that Mr. Blake had fallen deeply in love with a Cornish beauty, a
certain Miss Frances Hackett, and that his moody looks were all owing to
this.

'Edith has seen her,' went on Geraldine, as she repeated this story with
immense relish; 'she is a pretty little thing, a dark-eyed brunette. The
Hacketts are very wealthy people, and they say Miss Frances will have a
few thousand pounds of her own; so he will be lucky if he gets her.
Perhaps the pere Hackett is obdurate, and this may account for Mr.
Blake's gloom--for he is certainly very bad company just now.'

'Your father thinks he looks very ill; he was speaking to me about him
last night. It is wonderful what a fancy he has taken to him.'

'I think we all like him,' returned Geraldine, who could afford to
praise him now her fears about Audrey were removed. 'Miss Frances might
do worse for herself. He is very clever--a rising young man, as Percy
says--and then he is so handsome: a girl might well lose her heart to
him.'

Mrs. Ross was quite willing to regard Mr. Blake as Miss Frances'
suitor--an unhappy lover was sure to excite her warmest sympathy--but
she was a little shocked and scandalised at Geraldine's hint.

'My dear,' she said, in a more dignified tone than she usually employed
to her eldest daughter, 'I do not think you have any right to say such a
thing of your sister. Audrey is the last girl in the world to fancy any
man was in love with her, or to trouble herself because he chose to fall
in love with some one else. I have often seen her and Mr. Blake
together--he has dined here a dozen times--and her manner has always
been perfectly friendly with him, as frank as possible--just as it is to
Michael.'

'I thought she seemed a little constrained and uncomfortable last night
when Mr. Blake came into the room,' returned Geraldine, wh