When he awoke, however, he tried to persuade himself that he had made far too much of the trifling circumstance of her leaving the verses behind.  For was she not terrified? —­ Why, then, did she leave him and go alone to her own room? —­ She must have felt that she ought not to be in his, at that hour, and therefore dared not stay. —­ Why dared not?  Did she think the house was haunted by a ghost of propriety?  What rational theory could he invent to account for the strange and repeated sounds? —­ He puzzled himself over it to the verge of absolute intellectual prostration.

He was generally the first in the breakfast-room; that is, after Euphra, who was always the first.  She went up to him as he entered, and said, almost in a whisper: 

“Have you got the poems for me?  Quick!”

Hugh hesitated.  She looked at him.

“No,” he said at last. —­ “You never wanted them.”

“That is very unkind; when you know I was frightened out of my wits.  Do give me them.”

“They are not worth giving you.  Besides, I have not got them.  I don’t carry them in my pocket.  They are in the escritoire.  I couldn’t leave them lying about.  Never mind them.”

“I have a right to them,” she said, looking up at him slyly and shyly.

“Well, I gave you them, and you did not think them worth keeping.  I kept my part of the bargain.”

She looked annoyed.

“Never mind, dear Euphra; you shall have them, or anything else I have; —­ the brain that made them, if you like.”

“Was it only the brain that had to do with the making of them?”

“Perhaps the heart too; but you have that already.”

Her face flushed like a damask rose.

At that moment Mrs. Elton entered, and looked a little surprised.  Euphra instantly said: 

“I think it is rather too bad of you, Mr. Sutherland, to keep the poor boy so hard to his work, when you know he is not strong.  Mrs. Elton, I have been begging a holiday for poor Harry, to let him go with us to Wotton House; but he has such a hard task-master!  He will not hear of it.”

The flush, which she could not get rid of all at once, was thus made to do duty as one of displeasure.  Mrs. Elton was thoroughly deceived, and united her entreaties to those of Miss Cameron.  Hugh was compelled to join in the deception, and pretend to yield a slow consent.  Thus a holiday was extemporised for Harry, subject to the approbation of his father.  This was readily granted; and Mr. Arnold, turning to Hugh, said: 

“You will have nothing to do, Mr. Sutherland:  had you not better join us?”

“With pleasure,” replied he; “but the carriage will be full.”

“You can take your horse.”

“Thank you very much.  I will.”