’But what’s all this about?  You wanted me to look after you!  Is it that Alexis?’

’Oh, Japs!  Mamma knows all about it and papa.  It was only that he was ridiculous because I was so silly as to think I could help him with his Greek.’

‘You!  With his Greek!  I pity him!’

‘Yes.  I found he soon knew too much for me,’ said Gillian meekly; ’but, indeed, Japs, it wasn’t very bad!  He only sent me a valentine, and Aunt Jane says I need not have been so angry.’

‘A cat may look at a king,’ said Jasper loftily.  ’It is a horrid bad thing for a girl to be left to herself without a brother worth having.’

So Gillian got off pretty easily, and after all the walk was not greatly spoilt.  They coalesced again with the other three, who were tolerably discreet, and found the debate on the White gentility had been resumed.  Ivinghoe was philosophically declaring ’that in these days one must take up with everybody, so it did not matter if one was a little more of a cad than another; he himself was fag at Eton to a fellow whose father was an oilman, and who wasn’t half a bad lot.’

‘An oilman, Ivy,’ said his sister; ‘I thought he imported petroleum.’

‘Well, it’s all the same.  I believe he began as an oilman.’

‘We shall have Fergus reporting that he’s a petroleuse,’ put in Jasper.

‘No, a petroleuse is a woman.’

‘I like Mr. White,’ said Fly; ’but, Gillian, you don’t think it is true that he is going to marry your Aunt Jane?’

There was a great groan, and Japs observed—–­

’Some one told us Rockquay was a hotbed of gossip, and we seem to have got it strong.’

‘Where did this choice specimen come from, Fly!’ demanded Ivinghoe, in his manner most like his mother.

Fly nodded her head towards her governess in the advanced guard.

’She had a cousin to tea with her, and they thought I didn’t know whom they meant, and they said that he was always up at Rockstone.’

‘Well, he is; and Aunt Jane always stands up for him,’ said Gillian; ’but that was because he is so good to the workpeople, and Aunt Ada took him for some grand political friend of Cousin Rotherwood’s.’

‘Aunt Jane!’ said Jasper.  ’Why, she is the very essence and epitome of old maids.’

‘Yes,’ said Gillian.  ’If it came to that, she would quite as soon marry the postman.’

‘That’s lucky’ said Ivinghoe.  ’One can swallow a good deal, but not quite one’s own connections.’

‘In fact,’ said Jasper, ’you had rather be an oilman’s fag than a quarryman’s—–­what is it?—–­first cousin once removed in law?’

‘It is much more likely,’ said Gillian, as they laughed over this, ’that Kalliope and Maura will be his adopted daughters, only he never comes near them.’