not dear to her, or her
marriage-vows sacred in her eyes. How came it that she and Matthew
O'Brien should have a son like Cyril? Audrey's girlish brains grew
confused over questions that might well baffle a psychologist; she could
make nothing of them.

Mollie came to her the next morning with her eyes swollen with crying.

'Oh, dear Miss Ross!' she exclaimed, the moment she entered the room,
'do you know mamma says that we are going away to-morrow? I thought it
was to be next week, and Biddy thought so too; but mamma says that Cyril
is all alone in the lodgings, and that we ought to go to him at once.
Biddy and she are packing up the books and things, and mamma seemed to
think that I ought to have remained to help her; but I told her that I
must--I must say-good-bye to my dear, dear Miss Ross;' and here Mollie
gave her a low-spirited hug.

'My dear Mollie,' returned Audrey kindly, 'I have arranged that already
with your mother, and you are to spend the whole morning with me. We
will not do any lessons; I can see you are not fit for them. And it is
such a lovely morning. We will go in the garden, and sit on that nice
sunny seat overlooking Deep-water Chine. Do you remember our voyage
there, and how contemptuous you were about the scenery?' but this
allusion to one of the happiest days she had ever spent in her young
life only brought on a fresh burst of grief.

Poor Mollie was broken-hearted at the idea of leaving her friend, and it
was a long time before Audrey could induce her to look at things in a
less lugubrious light. Michael, prowling about with his cigarette, and
followed closely by his short-legged favourite, came upon them sitting
hand-in-hand on a bench near the pond; but he was careful not to betray
his presence, and he called off Booty rather sternly when the
affectionate little animal showed some disposition to join his friends.
Neither of them saw him. Audrey was talking earnestly, but he only heard
a fragment of what she was saying.

'So you see, dear Mollie,' she went on, in a soft, persuasive voice,
'that you will be as great a comfort to me when you are away as you have
been here. When I think of you all, I shall say to myself: "Mollie is
taking care of them."'

'Yes, I see; and indeed, indeed I will try to do my best for Cyril and
mamma,' replied Mollie, with a sob. 'I know how unhappy poor Cyril is;
and mamma will not be the comfort to him that she used to be. Is it not
sad to think of it, M