"Apres? We have no sinister designs on Mr. Dodd, have we?” and something unusually keen flashed upon Aunt Bazalgette out of the tail of the quiet Lucy’s eye.

Mrs. Bazalgette looked cross.  “Nonsense, Lucy; so tiresome!  Can’t we have an agreeable person without tacking on a disagreeable one?”

“Aunt,” said Lucy, pathetically, “ask me anything else in the world, but don’t ask me to be rude, for I can’t."

“Well, then, you are bound to entertain her, since she is your choice, and leave me mine.”

Lucy acquiesced softly.

David, tutored by his sister, now tried to seem interested in her who came between him and Lucy, and a miserable hand he made of this his first piece of acting.  Luckily for him, Mrs. Bazalgette liked the sound of her own voice; and his good looks, too, went a long way with the mature woman.  Lucy and Eve sat together at the tea-table; Mr. Fountain slumbered below; Arthur was in the study, nailed to a novel; Eve, under a careless exterior, watched intently to find out if Lucy, under a calm surface, cared for David at all or not, and also watched for a chance to serve him.  She observed a certain languor about the young lady, but no attempt to take David from the coquette.  At last, however, Lucy did say demurely, “Mr. Dodd seems to appreciate my aunt.”

“Don’t you think it is rather the other way?”

“That is an insidious question, Miss Dodd.  I shall make no admissions; but I warn you she is a very fascinating woman.”

“My brother is greatly admired by the ladies, too.”

“Oh, since I praised my champion, you have a right to praise yours.  But he will get the worst in that little encounter.”

“Why so?

“Because my sprightly aunt forgets the very names of her conquests when once she has thoroughly made them.”

“She will never make this one; my brother carries an armor against coquettes.”

“Ay, indeed; and pray what may that be?” inquired Lucy, a little quizzingly.

“A true and deep attachment.”

“Ah!”

“And if you will look at him a little closer you will see that he would be glad to get away from that old flirt; but David is very polite to ladies.”

Lucy stole a look from under her silken lashes, and it so happened that at that very moment she encountered a sorrowful glance from David that said plainly enough, I am obliged to be here, but I long to be there.  She received his glance full in her eyes, absorbed it blandly, then lowered her lashes a moment, then turned her head with a sweet smile toward Eve.  “I think you said your brother was engaged.”

“No.”

“I misunderstood you, then.”

“Yes.”  Eve uttered this monosyllable so dryly that Lucy drew back, and immediately turned the conversation into chit-chat.

It had not trickled above ten minutes when an exclamation from David interrupted it.  The young ladies turned instinctively, and there was David flushing all over, and speaking to Mrs. Bazalgette with a tremulous warmth, that, addressed as it was to a pretty woman, sounded marvelously like love-making.