‘More dignified maybe,’ smiled Albinia, ‘but less like an O’More.’

‘No, you are not going,’ said Mr. Kendal; ’I shall not release my prisoner just yet.’

‘You carried off all the honour of the day,’ said Ulick.  ’I had no notion you had such an arm.  Why, you swung me round like a tom-cat, or—­’ and he exemplified the exploit upon Maurice, and was well buffeted.

‘That’s a little Irish blarney to propitiate me,’ laughed Mr. Kendal, who certainly was in unusual spirits after his execution and rescue by proxy, but you wont escape prison fare.’

‘There’s no doubt who was the heroine of the day,’ added Sophy.  ’How one envies her!’

‘What! your little governess friend?’ said Ulick.  ’Yes; she did show superior wit, when the rest of the world stood gaping round.’

‘It was admirable—­just like Genevieve’s tenderness and dexterity,’ said Albinia.  ’I dare say she is doing everything for the poor little fellow.’

‘Yes, admirable,’ said Mr. Kendal; ’but you all behaved very creditably, ladies.’

‘Ay,’ said Albinia; ’not to scream is what a man thinks the climax of excellence in a woman.’

‘It is generally all that is required,’ said Mr. Kendal.  I don’t know what I should have done if poor Lucy had been there.’

Thereupon the ladies went upstairs, Maurice following Sophy to extract a full account of the skirmish.  The imp probably had an instinct that she would think more of what redounded to Ulick O’More’s glory than of what would be edifying to his own infant mind.  It was doubtful how long it would be before Guy Fawkes would arrive at his proper standing in the little Awk’s opinion, after the honour of an auto-da-fe in company with papa.

Mr. Hope escorted Genevieve home, and was kept to dinner.  They narrated that they had found the public-house open, and the bar full of noisy runaways.

The burns were dreadful, but the surgeon did not think they would be fatal, and the child had held Genevieve’s hand throughout the dressing, and seemed so unwilling to part with her, that she had promised to come again the next day, and had been thanked gratefully.  There seemed no positive want of comforts, and there was every hope that all would do well.

Genevieve looked pale after the scene she had gone through, and could not readily persuade herself to eat, still less rally her spirits to talk; but she managed to avoid observation at dinner-time, and afterwards a rest on the sofa restored her.  She evidently felt, as she said, that this was coming home, and her exquisite gift of tact making her perceive that she was to be at ease and on an equality, she assumed her position without giving her friends the embarrassment of installing her, and Mr. Hope was in such a state of transparent admiration, that Albinia could not help two or three times noiselessly clapping her hands under the table, and secretly thanking the rioters and their tag-rag and bob-tail for having provided a home for little Genevieve Durant.