of her eye, and dictated to by the tone of her voice, in place of the words. A mere Miss, too,-scarcely out of her teens! He "wished Kate had been far enough ere he had asked her;" he could have made far easier terms with Lady Olivia; and with Marjorie easiest of all. She, at any rate, would have seen that the honour was enough for him.

But Kate was such a queer, tiresome girl; one never knew what she would say, or what she would do. "I'll answer for it, she leads her precious step-mother a lively life," he confided to the protesting Dora. "I'll be bound, Lady Olivia would bless the man who would take Kate off her hands, if it were not for Carnochan."

"The opportunity for such a benediction will not be soon forthcoming, I should say" replied Dora. Dora had no high opinion of the married state, she told herself.

"Won't it?" Walter misunderstood. "Won't it, then? Why, Kate is the sort of girl no man can look at, and not want to be after,-well, I can't say 'no man,' for I have just escaped by the skin of my teeth, never mind how or why, but it's a fact, all the same. She's all there, you know every inch of her is on the spot in a moment when there's anything she cares for going on. You should have seen her just now; by Jove, I didn't know which way to turn! I can tell you I-I wasn't sorry when the whole scene was over, I felt myself such a fool; and what was it all about? Nothing, the merest nothing,-only my lady chose to have her own way in spite of reason—a woman, every inch of her, eh, Dora ?-and if you want the whole truth, I declare to you that she looked so whimsically and exasperatingly lovely all the time she was giving utterance to the most hopelessly provoking nonsense that ever man listened to, that-that-that-pshaw! all I mean is, it was lucky the man was me, and no other."

As for Kate, she hurried home, no less full of it all. Here at last had opened of itself a way in which she might benefit, and perchance permanently, the poor relations who at times pressed somewhat heavily on her conscience; and anticipating no difficulty from Lady Olivia which she might not ultimately succeed in smoothing away, she ran up-stairs gaily on hearing that the ladies had returned from their drive and were in the drawing-room. No time was to be lost, since Walter had been promised a little note to be despatched that evening, in answer to the "It would be well

that I should know soon," which he had fancied careless and indifferent enough to hide any deeper emotion. It had not quite done so ; a lurking anxiety had been apparent throughout it all; and this had obtained for him his request far more readily than anything else could have done.

She ran up, as we have said; and finding no one in the front room, pursued the sound of voices, and passed through the folding-doors to the shady recess at the back, wherein the afternoon tea-table was usually placed.

Some one was sitting beside Lady Olivia on the sofa, looking up at Marjorie, who stood before them both, displaying herself to best advantage in her pretty fanciful. draperies, some one whose dark smooth head was thrown back on the cushion, and whose arm was stretched out along the sofa. He turned towards her,—and her face changed. It was Evelyn.

CHAPTER

XXIX.

A BAD HALF-HOUR.

"Past and to come seem best; things present worst.'

-Henry IV.

"My dear Kate, who do you think we have got here?

Why, of course she can guess," cried Marjorie, before her step-mother could proceed further; "she has only to look up"-pointing to the fine crayon head which Lady Olivia had not forgotten to bring from Carnochan, and hang in a prominent place, where it could attract attention. "Kate does not need to ask," continued her sister, patron isingly.

It was well that neither of them looked at Kate. The mother's eyes were fondly bent upon her son, and Marjorie was regarding his portrait; the silent greeting between the two who had once been lovers, passed unheeded.

He rose, she came forward, and they took each other's hands.

It seemed to Kate that he was looking at her, though she could not look at him; and then she fell into the background, one thing only being clear amidst the ringing in

her ears, the swimming of her eyes-that she must not betray her trust.

She had pledged her word,-how hard it had been to keep it, no one knew; come what might, she must not now give way.

But what a moment it was!

The sun was blazing outside like a furnace, and it had so blinded her, that on first entering the cool dark room wherein the group had assembled, she had needed the pause consequent on her entrance to be sure of what her own eyes saw; and now the closely-drawn blinds, and the shadow they cast, served her in good stead. No one not seeking information from her face could have told that it was working strangely, and there was nothing to call for comment in either her manner or her movements.

"Come, Kate, sit down, and rest," said her step-mother. Marjorie did all the standing in that house. She liked to be seen from head to foot, and she had a variety of effective tricks which came into play on these occasions. When the youngest Miss Newbattle was arrayed and glorious, she would show herself to any one, be it the oldest crone or the youngest child,— ,-none were too mean to be treated to a view. How much more this magnificent new "brother"!

He was talked at, smiled at, flourished at immediately, and the two were deep in recollections, when Kate's entrance created a diversion. No sooner, however, had the very slight bustle consequent on the introduction of the newcomer subsided, than the thread of "Do you remembers" was renewed with eagerness; and even Lady Olivia had to wait for her turn.

"Rupert, do you remember how you made me take the grapes?"

"There was not much 'making' in the question, I take it." Oh, there was indeed; I was frightened out of my wits." "Your little wits!" murmured her step-mother.

"I had my little wits, mamma, as well as other people. I liked the grapes, but I did not like being scolded and sent to bed for stealing them; so I made Rupert say that he had made me do the deed, and then we ate our grapes together comfortably."

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My

"Now, be quiet, chatterbox; I want to hear and to speak too." Lady Olivia could no longer be kept back. dearest Rupert, I have a hundred things to say."

"Yes," said Rupert, starting. Where had his wits been next? Back in those bygone days? Marjorie felt sure they had, and that he had been recalling her as his "blueeyed butterfly," and that he had been saying to himself, moreover, perhaps, how gorgeous the butterfly had now become.

She flew at Lady Olivia with a rush. "Now, mamma, when you begin like that, I know you are going to be prosy —and it is far, far too hot to be prosy. Just let us hold our tongues, and look at each other, and eat cake. There

is Kate, taking no heed of anybody; sensible old darlingshe goes at her tea and cake-oho, she has not touched them! Why, you stupid thing, what have you done to make yourself look like that? Racketing out to the East End

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Stop, stop! East End? What are you thinking of, child?" interposed the reproving tones of Lady Olivia. Rupert will suppose you mean Bethnal Green, at least! She has only been to Fitzroy Square, my dear Rupert, to see some very good, kind people who live there. Dear Kate is so self-denying, she shrinks from no duty; but the tax is sometimes, - and why did you not drive, my love?"

"We came by train; it takes so much less time." Speaking even those few words, with the painful conviction that some one was listening to hear how she spoke, was almost more than the fluttering breath could accomplish; but it was done, and there was no need for more. A sudden fancy had seized her sister, and she now twirled a pirouette which set all her feathers waving, and sank on one knee beside Kate's chair.

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Oh, Kate, does Walter want to paint my picture?"

Yes," said Kate, softly. She hardly knew what she was saying, and was entirely unconscious that half an hour before it had been the last thing she had meant to have had drawn from her, until Lady Olivia's sanction had been obtained. All of this was now obliterated in the haze which had fallen over the thoughts and wishes of the morning. She answered "Yes," and the clamour which followed was inaudible. She only heard the silence beyond, and saw that a hand had been raised as though to screen the eyes of a person who meant to hide the direction they took. He was certainly looking at her.

"What?" said Marjorie, clapping her hands; "do you really mean it?"

"Yes," again, almost in a whisper.

"How delightful! Do you hear that, mamma? Rupert, do you hear that? My picture to be taken, and not in a horrid, stupid way-not 'at the request of the family,' to make up the set of portraits for the gallery, but to be asked for by the man himself! I thought he would do it," triumphantly. "I thought so when I was there the other day. I felt sure he was up to something, by the way he kept looking—

"He ought to take her now," Lady Olivia nodded, aside. "Look, Rupert. As she stands. Charming!"

"But tell me," proceeded the charming one,

"tell me

how it came about? Did he come to you? Did he ask you? Oh no, I remember you have just been there. Why, Kate," in accents of bitter disappointment," why, Kate, I believe you went there to speak to him, and you mean to give him the thing to do for a charity!"

"There's an accusation," said Evelyn, rousing himself, as the others laughed. "I must say I shouldn't care to be made a charity' of myself. It is not flattering, is it, Marjorie ?"

"I won't be done, and that's all about it," said Marjorie, pouting.

"Walter asked me; and I only gave him the commission afterwards," said Kate, addressing her sister, and looking at no one else. "It is all settled, if Lady Olivia approves."

"Well, my dear," replied Lady Olivia, with a delighted glance at her son, to be sure that he had observed the deference to her, which in his presence was so especially acceptable, "you were very right to make no unconditional arrangement. I will think it over. Mr-ahem"-she did not wish to say the name of Newbattle-" Walter is a very rising young artist, I am told, and perhaps we could not do better; still

"No 'stills,' no 'buts,' mamma; Kate has settled it all. There!"

"You see what a tyrant we have got, Rupert. You little thought, when you left us five years ago, that the little good Marjorie would have changed into this great arbitrary creature"