aw.
Ever to sink into the apathy of my beloved mother would be beyond
endurance. But there, I am off to Frosty, and you will have to come into
the boat with me."

Irene flew fleet as the wind from Rosamund's side. Notwithstanding her
exceedingly ugly red dress, its shortness, its uncouth make, she ran as
gracefully as a young fawn. Soon she had disappeared round the corner,
and as soon as she had done so Lady Jane was seen tripping across the
grass. She motioned Rosamund to her side.

"She took to you," she said. "She seems to like you. Are you going to
be good to her?" said the lady, her lips trembling as she spoke.

"If I can. Oh, I know she is very naughty; but she is so beautiful!"
said Rosamund, with sudden enthusiasm, her own pretty dark eyes filling
with tears.

"You are a sweet girl!" said Lady Jane. "Perhaps God has sent you here
to effect the means of reform. Only sometimes I fear----But here she
comes. She must not see me talking to you. If she thought that we were
in league all would be lost."

Before Rosamund could reply, or even ask Lady Jane if she might go into
the boat with Irene, that young lady had darted to her side.

"Now, what were you saying to the Mumsy-pums? I don't allow any one to
talk in a confidential way to my Mumsy-pums except myself. Now, I was
just watching you, and you kept nodding your head all the time. What
were you saying? I know you were talking about me. What was the dear
Pums saying with regard to her changeling? Was she running me down--eh?"

"No, nothing of the sort," said Rosamund stoutly.

"Then I know," said Irene, knitting her black eyebrows till they almost
met in her anxiety to express herself clearly; "she was telling you to
have a good influence over me. She always begins like that with the new
governesses. She has an interview with them the morning after they
arrive. They are generally by that time reduced to a state of pulp, and
she has them, as she thinks, alone. But I generally contrive to listen.
I am a great eavesdropper. Oh, I am not a bit ashamed of it--not a
bit--so you needn't begin to preach. She tells them to try and reform
me. She says money is no object if only I can be reformed. As though a
changeling could be reformed! She has been asking you to reform me,
hasn't she? I know her little ways, dear, good old Mumsy-pums. But she
can't reform a changeling. Now the boat is ready, and Betty is toiling
for dear life with our tea-tray. I darted into the