‘Miss Hazel!—­is it you?  What is the matter?’

‘Do I look like somebody else, sir?’

Like nobody else! thought Dr. Maryland; while, learning the whole of Mrs. Saddler’s explanations from the first five words, he went on to apply such remedies as were strongest and nearest at hand.  In a medical point of view it was not perhaps needful that he should hold the coffee-cup himself all the time, but if this were not really his ‘first case,’ it bid fair to be so marked in his memory.  Perhaps he forgot the coffee-cup, till Mr. Falkirk gently relieved him of it with a word of dismission, and the doctor modestly withdrew; then sending Mrs. Saddler for some bottled ale, Mr. Falkirk went on, ‘Wych, where have you been?’

’Following the steps of my great predecessor, King Alfred, sir.’

‘In what line?’

’Retiring from the enemy, sir, and being obliged to meet the Dane’—­said Miss Hazel, innocently closing her eyes.

‘Where?’ said Mr. Falkirk, shortly.

’I don’t know, sir.  In some of the wild places favoured by such outlaws.  Don’t you know, he has just come over the sea?’

There was a pause of some seconds.

‘Wych,’ said her guardian kindly, ’do you know it is not nice for little girls to make themselves so conspicuous as your morning walk has made you to-day?’

Some feeling of her own brought the blood to her cheek and brow, vividly.

’I don’t know what you call conspicuous, sir; only one person found me.  And if you think I lost myself in the fog on purpose, Mr. Falkirk, you think me a much smaller girl than I am!’

Mr. Falkirk smiled—­a little, passing his hand very lightly over the brow which did look certainly as if it had belonged to a little girl not very long ago; but he said no more, except to advise the young lady to eat a good breakfast.

Not to be conspicuous, however, from this day was beyond little Miss Hazel’s power, to whatever degree it might have been within her wish.  The house was at this time not yet filled; but of all its indwellers, old and young, male and female, higher and lower in the scale of society, every eye and tongue was at her service; so far as being occupied with her made it so.  Every hand was at her service more literally.  Did not the very serving-men at table watch her eye?  Was not he the best fellow who could recommend the hottest omelet and bring the freshest cakes to her hand?  The young heiress, the young mistress of fabulous acres, and ’such a beautiful old place;’ the new beauty, who bid fair to bewitch all the world with hand and foot and gypsy eyes,—­nay, the current all set one way.  Even old dowagers looked to praise, and even their daughters to admire; while of the men, all were at her feet.  Attentions, civil, kind, and recommendatory, showered on Miss Hazel from all sides.  Would that little head stand it, with its wayward curls and some slight indication of waywardness