‘How late you are!’ were the first words she heard one October evening on entering Beechcroft Cottage; but they were followed by ‘Here’s a pleasure for you!’

‘It’s from papa himself!  Open it!  Open it quick,’ cried Valetta, dancing round her in full appreciation of the honour and delight.

Sir Jasper said that his daughter must put up with him for a correspondent, since two brides at once were as much as any mother could be supposed to undertake.  Indeed, as mamma would not leave him, Phyllis was actually going to Calcutta, chaperoned by one of the matrons of the station, to make purchases for both outfits, since Alethea would not stir from under the maternal wing sooner than she could help.

At the end came, ’We are much shocked at poor White’s death.  He was an excellent officer, and a good and sensible man, though much hampered with his family.  I am afraid his wife must be a very helpless being.  He used to talk about the good promise of one of his sons—–­the second, I think.  We will see whether anything can be done for the children when we come home.  I say we, for I find I shall have to be invalided before I can be entirely patched up, so that mamma and I shall have a sort of postponed silver wedding tour, a new variety for the old folks “from home."’

‘Oh, is papa coming home?’ cried Valetta.

‘For good!  Oh, I hope it will be for good,’ added Gillian.

‘Then we shall live at dear Silverfold all the days of our life,’ added Fergus.

‘And I shall get back to Rigdum.’

‘And I shall make a telephone down to the stables,’ were the cries of the children.

The transcendent news quite swallowed up everything else for some time; but at last Gillian recurred to her father’s testimony as to the White family.

‘Is the second son the musical one?’ she was asked, and on her affirmative, Aunt Jane remarked, ’Well, though the Rev. Augustine Flight is not on a pinnacle of human wisdom, his choir practices, etc., will keep the lad well out of harm’s way till your father can see about him.’

This would have been an opportunity of explaining the youth’s aims and hopes, and her own share in forwarding them; but it had become difficult to avow the extent of her intercourse with the brother and sister, so entirely without the knowledge of her aunts.  Even Miss Mohun, acute as she was, had no suspicions, and only thought with much satisfaction that her niece was growing more attentive to poor Lilian Giles, even to the point of lingering.

’I really think, she said, in consultation with Miss Adeline, ’that we might gratify that damsel by having the White girls to drink tea.’

’Well, we can add them to your winter party of young ladies in business.’

’Hardly.  These stand on different ground, and I don’t want to hurt their feelings or Gillian’s by mixing them up with the shopocracy.’