d her lips quivered or her eyes
wrinkled up with humour, at the thought of all those old folks with their
faces and their movements and their ways of doing and speaking. Ah! well,
please God, some day her dream would really come true; and they shall all
be gathered again from France and England with their broken hearts mended
and their tears wiped away, and Mr. Wickham himself shall minister to
them and make them sermons, and Tom Downe too shall be there to minister
to him--all in one of the many mansions of which the Saviour spoke.

And so she heard nothing of the talk of the others; though her sister
looked at her tenderly once or twice; and Mary Corbet chattered and
twitched her buckles in the sun, and Anthony sat embarrassed in the midst
of Paradise; and she knew nothing of where she was nor of what was
happening round her, until Mary Corbet said that it was time for the
horses to be round, and that she must go and get ready and not keep Mr.
James and Mr. Anthony waiting. Then, as she and Anthony went towards the
house, the old lady looked up from the braying stag and found herself
alone with her sister.

Mistress Margaret waited until the other two disappeared up the steps,
and then spoke.

"I have told her all, sister," she said, "she can be trusted."

Lady Maxwell nodded gently.

"She has a good heart," went on the other, "and our Lord no doubt will
find some work for her to do at Court."

There was silence again; broken by the gentle little sound of the silk
being drawn through the stuff.

"You know best, Margaret," said Lady Maxwell.

Even as she spoke there was the sound of a door thrown violently open and
old Sir Nicholas appeared on the top of the steps, hatless and plainly in
a state of great agitation; beside him stood a courier, covered with the
dust of the white roads, and his face crimson with hard riding. Sir
Nicholas stood there as if dazed, and Lady Maxwell sprang up quickly to
go to him. But a moment after there appeared behind him a little group,
his son James, Miss Corbet and a servant or two; while Anthony hung back;
and Mr. James came up quickly, and took his father by the arm; and
together the little company came down the steps into the still and sunny
garden.

"What is it?" cried Lady Maxwell, trying to keep her voice under control;
while Mistress Margaret laid her work quietly down, and stood up too.

"Tell my lady," said Sir Nicholas to the courier, who stood a little
apart.

"