"Dear Mrs. Sheardown, I always cite
you as one of the most just persons I know.
But—don't be angry with me—I do think
you are a little unjust to Veronica."

"Am I? I will try not to be, Maudie."

"It would seem presumptuous in me to
talk to you in this way, only that I, of
course, know Veronica so thoroughly.
She has fine qualities; indeed she has."

"She has, at all events, one good quality,
which I am willing to admit; she is fond
of you, I truly believe."

"Indeed she is, Mrs. Sheardown. And
you don't know how I try her. I lecture
her and scold her sometimes, terribly. And
you know I am two years younger than
she is. And yet she bears it all so well.
I am sure that if Veronica loved only
flatterers, she would detest me."

"Who is it that does not detest Miss
Desmond?" demanded Captain Sheardown,
entering the room at this moment with
Mr. Hugh Lockwood.

"Never mind," returned his wife; "the
reference you heard on coming in concerned
neither you nor Mr. Lockwood."

''We have been to Shipley-in-the-Wold,
Nelly."

"What took you to Shipley-in-the-
Wold?"

"Captain Sheardown was kind enough
to go, partly on my account," said Hugh.
"I wanted to have a look at the church
there; and as we are to go to Danecester
for the Sunday service at the cathedral, I
thought I might not have another opportunity
of seeing St. Gildas, which is curious,
and very complete in its way."

"Had I known we were going to Shipley,
Miss Desmond," said the captain, "I
should have asked if you had any
commands to give me. But we only made up
our minds to push on when we were already
a good mile on the road. This young gentleman
found my description of St. Gildas's
church irresistibly attractive. He was
rather disappointed when I told him I was
going to call at the vicarage. But he
consoled himself with the hope that Miss
Levincourt might not be at home."

"I assure you, Mrs. Sheardown," said
Hugh, turning to his hostess with a vehement
earnestness that made her smile: "I
assure you that I did not even know, until
we were within sight of the vicarage house,
that Miss Levincourt lived there! If I had
been told, I had forgotten."

"Did you see Uncle Charles?" asked
Maud of Captain Sheardown.

"No; there was no one at home. The
vicar was at Haymoor on parish business,
and Miss Levincourt was out walking."

"Then," continued Maud, "you did not
see Veronica?"

"Stop a bit! We had left our cards at
the vicarage, and had walked to St. Gildas
and thoroughly inspected that very squat
specimen of Saxon architecture—oh yes, I
dare say it isn't Saxon at all, Hugh, but
never mind!—Miss Desmond does not know
any better!—and we were crossing the
churchyard, when whom should we see but
Miss Levincourt and Sir—Sir—what is the
man's name?"

"Sir John Gale," said his wife, gravely.

"Of course! Sir John Gale! Hugh saw
them first."

"Miss Levincourt wore a red cloak, and
the colour caught my eye," Hugh
explained.

"Something caught your eye? Yes, and
fixed it, moreover! For it was your intense
gaze that made me look in the direction of
the common. And there I saw Miss
Levincourt and Sir Thingumbob strolling
along arm-in-arm."

"The dressing-bell has rung, Tom,"
said Mrs. Sheardown, rising from her chair.

"All right, Nelly. But I was surprised
to see such a young-looking man! I
fancied he was quite an old fogey!"

"No;" said Maud, "he is not what one
would call an old fogey. Did Veronica see
you, Captain Sheardown?"

"We walked half across the common to
have the honour of accosting Miss
Levincourt. Hugh sacrificed his inclination to
a sense of politeness. Miss Veronica
received us very graciously, wanted us to
go back to the vicarage; but Sir John
looked uncommonly black. I don't think
he half liked being interrupted in his
tête-à-tête. And upon my word——"

"Please go and dress, Tom," interrupted
Mrs. Sheardown. "And you, too, Mr.
Lockwood. You will both be late, as it is."

While the captain was finishing his
toilet, his wife came into his dressing-room,
and said, "Oh you blundering, tiresome
Tom!"

"What have I done now?" asked
Captain Sheardown, wheeling round with a
huge hair-brush in each hand.

"I didn't want you to talk about that
man before Maud."

"What man?"

"That Sir John Gale."

"Why upon earth shouldn't I?"

"Well, it does not so much matter your
speaking about him, as coupling his name