liam?" said her mother,
with a strange sparkle in her eyes.

"I protest I cannot. It is not, surely, that she is unhappy here?"

"No, no, very far from that."

"It cannot be ill health, for she is the very picture of the contrary."

"No, no," said her mother again.

"What can it be?"

"Say, rather, who?" broke in Mrs. Morris, "and I 'll tell you."

"Who, then? Tell me by all means."

"Mr. Layton. Yes, Sir William, this is _his_ doing. I have remarked it
many a day back. You are aware, of course, how sedulously he endeavors
to make himself acceptable in another quarter?"

"What do you mean? What quarter? Surely you do not allude to my ward?"

"You certainly do not intend me to believe that you have not seen this,
Sir William?"

"I declare not only that I have never seen, but never so much as
suspected it. And have _you_ seen it, Mrs. Morris?"

"Ah! Sir William, this is our woman's privilege, though really in the
present case it did not put the faculty to any severe test."

For a moment or two he made no reply, and then said, "And Charles--has
Charles remarked it?"

"I really cannot tell you. His manner is usually so easy and indifferent
about everything, that, whether it comes of not seeing or never caring,
I cannot pretend to guess."

"I asked the young man here, because he was with Lord Agincourt," began
Sir William, who was most eager to offer some apologies to himself for
any supposed indiscretion. "Agincourt's guardian, Lord Sommerville, and
myself have had some unpleasant passages in life, and I wished to show
the boy that towards _him_ I bore no memory of the ills I received from
his uncle. In fact, I was doubly civil and attentive on that account;
but as for Mr. Layton,--isn't that his name?"

"Yes; Alfred Layton."

"Layton came as the lad's tutor,--nothing more. He appeared a pleasing,
inoffensive, well-bred young fellow. But surely, Mrs. Morris, my ward
has given him no encouragement?"

"Encouragement is a strong word, Sir William," said she, smiling archly;
"I believe it is only widows who give encouragement?"

"Well, well," said he, hurriedly, and not caring to smile, for he was in
no jesting mood, "has she appeared to understand his attentions?"

"Even young ladies make no mistakes on that score," said she, in the
same bantering tone.

"And I never to see it!" exclaimed he, as he walked hurriedly to and
fro. "But I ought to have seen it, eh, Mrs. Morris?--I ought to have
seen it. I