Miss Annie gave a little twist to her mouth, which seemed to indicate that if she spoke she should express her contempt of such an opinion, and Croft continued: 

“I am very sorry that upon that occasion I should have felt myself obliged to refuse your request that I should make you acquainted with my reasons for desiring to know Mr Keswick’s whereabouts.  But I am sure, if you understood the matter, you would not be in the least degree—­”

“Oh, you need not trouble yourself about that,” she interrupted.  “I don’t want you to tell me anything at all.  It is quite easy, now, to see why you wished to know where my cousin was.”

“It is impossible that you should know!” exclaimed Croft.

“We will say no more about it,” replied Annie.  “I am quite satisfied.”

“I would give a good deal,” said Lawrence, after looking steadily at her for a few moments, “to know what you really do think.”

Annie had cut all the flowers she wanted, or, rather, all she could get; and she now stood up and looked her companion full in the face.  “Mr Croft,” she said, “it has been necessary, and it is necessary now for me to have some concealments, and I am sorry for it; but it isn’t at all necessary for me to conceal my opinion of your reasons for wanting to know about Junius.  You were really in pursuit of Miss March, and knowing that he was in love with her, you wanted to make sure that when you went to her, he wouldn’t be there.  It is my firm opinion that is all there is about it; and the fact of your turning up here just after my cousin left, proves it.”

“Miss Annie,” exclaimed Croft—­“I have heard you called by that name, and I vow I won’t call you Mrs Null, when there is no need for it—­you were never more mistaken in your life, and I am very sorry that you should have such a low opinion of me as to think I would wish to take advantage of your cousin during his absence.”

“Then why do you do it?” asked Miss Annie, with a little upward pitch of her chin.

At this moment the breakfast-bell rang, and Mrs Keswick appeared in the back door, evidently somewhat surprised to see these two conversing in the garden.

“I am very much vexed,” said Lawrence, as he followed his companion, who had suddenly turned towards the house, “that you should think of me in this way.”

But to this remark Miss Annie had no opportunity to reply.

After breakfast, Mrs Keswick proved the truth of what her niece had said about her unscrupulous straightforwardness when carrying out her projects.  She had invited Mr Croft and Miss March to her house in order that the former might have the opportunity which she had discovered he wanted and could not get, of offering himself in marriage to the lady; and she now made it her business to see that Mr Croft’s opportunity should stand up very clear and definite before him; and that all interfering circumstances should be carefully