t he was her own boy.

Thus the circumstance which every one concerned hoped was to make
the most favourable change in the position did only intensify its
difficulties. Geoff naturally was more thrown into the society of his
stepfather during his mother's seclusion, and Geoff was very full of the
new event and new relationships, and was no wiser than his mother so far
as this was concerned. When they lunched together the boy was so far
forgetful of former experiences as to ply Theo with questions, as he had
not done since the days when the young man was his tutor, and everything
was on so different a footing. Geoff's excitement made him forget all
the prudence he had acquired. His "I say, Warrender," over and over
repeated drove Theo to heights of exasperation indescribable. Everything
about Geoff was offensive to his stepfather: his ugly little face, the
nervous grimaces which he still made, the familiarity of his address,
but above all the questions which it was impossible to silence. Lady
Markland averted them more or less when she was present, and Geoff had
learnt prudence to some extent, but in his excitement he remembered
these precautions no more.

"I say, Warrender! shall you take mamma away? Nurse says she must go for
a change. I think Markland is always the nicest place going, don't you?"

"No, I prefer the Warren, as you know."

"Oh!" Geoff could scarcely keep out of his voice the wondering contempt
with which he received this suggestion: but here his natural insight
prevailed, and a sort of sympathetic genius which the little fellow
possessed. "To be sure, I like the Warren very much indeed," he said.
"I suppose what makes me like Markland best is being born here."

"And I was born there," Theo said.

"Yes, I know. I wonder which the babies will like best. They are born
here, like me; I hope they will like Markland. It will be fun seeing
them run about, both the same size, and so like. They say twins are
always so like. Shall we have to tie a red ribbon round one and a blue
ribbon round the other, as people do?"

To this question the father of the babies vouchsafed no reply.

"Nurse says they are not a bit like me," Geoff continued, in a tone of
regret.

"Like you! Why should they be like you?" said Warrender, with a flush of
indignation.

"But why not, Warrender? Brothers and sisters are alike often. You and
Chatty are a little alike. When I am at Oxford, if they come to see me,
I shall like fel