station, and she meant to walk, for Lady Jane was very, very angry with
her. She could not go on. She broke down, poor dear! and very nearly
fainted. She said she did feel very faint and bad, so we just got her
into the gig--as, of course, any people who had any feelings would
do--and we brought her straight back to the Rectory, and she has stayed
with us ever since.

"For the first month she was not our governess at all; she was our sort
of child, to be petted and loved and fussed over. We put her in the
sunniest room, and when we found that her nerves were so terribly shaken
that she could scarcely sleep alone, one of my sisters had a little bed
made up in the room and slept with her at night. We fed her up, didn't
we just? and petted her; and when we found she liked it we took to
calling her 'Cartery love,' and she did not mind it a bit. Then she got
better, and said she must seek another situation, and father said she
should stay and teach us and look after things in the house a bit. So
she stayed. She knows such a lot, and does teach us so beautifully, and
she isn't half nor quarter as shy as she was; we all love her, and she
loves us. I think if Irene were not so near she would be perfectly
happy."

"Thank you for telling me so much," said Rosamund when Maud ceased
speaking.

"I had to tell you, for I want you, if you talk to her, to be very
careful, for she is still exceedingly nervous. And no wonder. What she
lived through at The Follies was enough to destroy the nerves of any
woman, even the stoutest-hearted in the world."

"Well, I should like to speak to her, and I will certainly not harm
her," said Rosamund.

Maud left her for a little while, and in a few minutes Miss Carter was
seen coming down the path with Maud hanging on her arm.

"Now, Cartery dear," she said, "you talk to Rosamund Cunliffe, who is a
friend of mine, and I will go and have a good, romping game of tennis.
Oh, I see they are just breaking up the present set, so I am just in
time."

Off ran Maud. Miss Carter's light-blue eyes followed her with an
expression of the deepest affection.

"You seem very fond of her," said Rosamund suddenly.

"I don't know what I should have done without her. She saved my life and
my reason."

"I don't want to talk about what has evidently given you very great
distress," said Rosamund after a time; "but I should like to tell you
that I know."

"You know?" said Miss Carter, beginning to tremble, a