The strange girl had been sitting on the grass.  Now she rose, pushed back her thick hair, and fixed her eyes on Catherine.  Catherine again noticed the singular brightness, the half-wild light in her eyes.  Suddenly it was quenched by great tears.  They splashed down on her cheeks, and made clean channels where the dust had lain.

“I am deadly tired,” she said, with a half moan.

“Listen, Josephine,” said Catherine.  “You shall not spend your night here.  You shall not stay to see my mother.  I will take you down to the lodge and wake up Tester, and his wife shall get a bed ready for you, and you shall sleep there, and in the morning you are to go away.  You can have breakfast before you start, but afterwards you are to go away.  Do you promise me?  Do you agree to this?”

The girl muttered something, and Catherine took her hand and led her down to the lodge.

CHAPTER X.

THE REASON OF THE VISIT.

On the evening of the next day Mrs. Bertram came home.  She looked very tired and worn, but her manner to her children was less stern, and more loving than usual.  Loftus, in especial, she kissed with rare tenderness; and even for one brief moment laid her head on her tall son’s broad shoulder, as if she wanted to rest herself there.

On the evening of her mother’s return Catherine was particularly bright and cheerful.  As a rule, Catherine’s will and her mother’s were two opposing elements.  Now they were one.  This conjunction of two strong wills gave an immense sense of rest and harmony to the whole establishment.  No one knew particularly why they felt peaceful and satisfied, but this was the true cause.

After dinner, Mrs. Bertram saw Catherine by herself.  She called her into the big drawing-room; and while Loftus and Mabel accurately measured out a new tennis-court, asked her daughter many and various questions.

“She has really gone away, mother,” said Catherine in conclusion.  “I went to the lodge early this morning, and Tester told me that she got up early, and took a bit of bread in her pocket; but she would not even wait for a cup of tea.  Tester said she was out of the house by six o’clock.  She washed herself well first, though, and Mrs. Tester said that she came out of her bath as fair as a lily, and her hair shining like red gold.  I thought last night, mother,” concluded Catherine, “that Josephine must be a pretty girl.  I should like to have seen her this morning when her hair shone and her face was like a lily.”

“You are full of curiosity about this girl, are you not, Catherine?” asked her mother.

“It is true, mother.  I conjecture much about her.”

“I can never gratify your curiosity, nor set your conjectures right.”

“You know about her then, mother?”

“Yes, I know about her.”

“Is Josephine an impostor?”

Mrs. Bertram paused.