“Go, now, young gentlemen, into Mrs. Force’s sitting room, and pay your respects to the ladies there. They know nothing whatever of the affair that brought you here to-day; nor do I wish them to know it. You are our guests for the day. That is all,” said the squire, in dismissing the youths.

Then, turning to the old lady, he said:

“I cannot express to you, Miss Bayard, the obligation I feel under for your wise and prompt action in this matter. But for you much misery might have ensued.”

“Lord, squire, I did no more than what might have been expected of me—one of my descent!” complacently replied Miss Sibby, as she bowed and sailed out of the office.

“To be sure! To be sure!” assented the amiable master of Mondreer.

“I wonder,” whispered Leonidas Force, as he linked his arm in that of Roland Bayard, and they passed along the hall together, “I do wonder if it is characteristic of a lady of high descent to open the envelope of a letter left on her mantelpiece and take out the letter? I wonder, further, if it were not a breach of the law, and what the lawyers call ‘actionable’?”

“I think not,” laughed Roland. “She acted in the cause of law, peace and justice. I don’t think you could get any judge, jury, or even country magistrate, to see it in any other light.”

They had now reached Mrs. Force’s sitting room, where, as soon as they entered, they were received with the warmest welcome by all the family and guests there assembled.

Miss Sibby had already resumed her seat in the most comfortable armchair the room could boast.

There were present Mrs. Force, Mrs. Anglesea, Miss Bayard and the two little girls, who had just come in.

Odalite was not there.

“Come here, my fine, young sailor lad! I haven’t seen sight of you since the rumpus in the church! Wasn’t that a circus? Come here and sit by me!” said the lady from Wild Cats’, making room on the sofa for Roland Bayard, who, with a smile and a bow, immediately placed himself beside her.

What else could a gentleman do?

“How is Odalite, auntie, dear?” inquired Le, seating himself just behind Mrs. Force’s chair, and leaning over its back.

“She is much better and brighter than she has been for many weeks past,” replied the lady.

“Indeed! I am very glad to hear it, auntie! There is something about Odalite that I cannot understand. I came home finding her engaged to be married, of her own free will, and yet utterly wretched—wretched to the verge of madness! And now that the wedding has been publicly broken off in a manner reflecting the deepest disgrace upon the bridegroom, you say she is brighter and happier than she has been for many weeks,” said Le, in a very low voice, still leaning over the back of the lady’s chair and speaking in her ear.

“Yes, she is so; but hush, dear boy! This is not the place to discuss Odalite. Besides, it is not polite to whisper in company,” said Mrs. Force, with a smile at the quoted commonplace.

Le lifted his head, and took his elbows off the lady’s chair, only to see his two young cousins, Wynnette and Elva, standing on each side of him.

He caught them both, the one in his right arm, the other in his left, and drew them to his side.

“We are so glad you have come back, Le! We missed you so awfully yesterday—Wynnette and I did!” said Elva.

“Yes, the house was as dull as ditch water—I mean the mansion was excessively melancholy!” added Wynnette.

“I am sorry to hear that! And all on account of my absence?” laughingly inquired Leonidas.

“Largely, at any rate.”

“My darlings,” said Mrs. Force, “I thought you were in the schoolroom, busy with Miss Meeke in dressing dolls for the Sunday school Christmas tree.”

“So we were, mamma, but Dr. Ingle came, and we all went down into the drawing room to see him,” replied Elva.

“He always does cry for her—I mean inquire for Miss Meeke—and she always goes down to see him, and makes us go down with her. And he doesn’t like it at all, and neither do we. Why, the other evening, when he came just after tea, when you had a headache and Odalite was sitting with you, and we were in the drawing room with Miss Meeke, after a little while, he said:

“‘Do you not think that it is very unhealthy for children to sit up so late?’

“And she laughed and said:

“‘Their regular bedtime is nine o’clock. It is not yet seven.’

“And it is always so. He always looks at us as if he was saying to himself:

“But this time, thank goodness, we happened to hear Le’s voice in the hall, and we skedaddled—I mean we left the drawing room and came in here, mamma, dear,” said Wynnette.

“What did Ingle talk about, or find to talk about, while you two were hanging around him like a wet blanket?” inquired Le, who often amused himself at Wynnette’s expense.

“Oh, not much. He couldn’t make love to Nat right before our four looking eyes—I mean he couldn’t pay his addresses to Miss Meeke in our presence. Neither could he talk to Nat about old Col. Notley’s gout, or old Mrs. Gouph’s dropsy, like he does to mamma—I mean he could not discuss medical science with Miss Meeke as he might with a matronly lady. And so there wasn’t much to talk about,” said Wynnette.

“Oh, don’t you remember, he said that Col. Anglesea had gone?” inquired Elva.

“Gone!” echoed Le and Mrs. Force, in one voice.

“Oh, yes!” replied Wynnette. “The horrid beat has made tracks—vamoosed the ranche—absquatulated—that is to say, Col Anglesea, H.E.I.C.S., and all the rest of it, has taken his final departure.”

“Thank Heaven!” earnestly breathed Mrs. Force. “But is it certain, Wynnette?” she almost immediately inquired.

“I think so. Dr. Ingle met him, in traveling dress, at the railway station, when he took a through ticket to Washington, and said that he was en route for New York, and meant to sail on the Scotia for Liverpool next Saturday. His trumpery was to be sent after him by to-night’s express.”

“Thank Heaven!” again fervently breathed Elfrida Force.

“What’s all that you’re talking about over there?” inquired the lady from the mines, rising from her seat on the sofa and unceremoniously joining the group around her hostess. “What’s up now? I heard the name of my fine scamp mentioned just now! Has anything happened to him? Has he broken his neck, eh?”

“Oh, no!” sighed Wynnette, in a tone of regret; “he has not broken his neck. Fate reserves that for the hangman to do! He has only left the neighborhood to return to England. But let us hope that the ship may be lost! I’m sure his presence on board will be enough to raise the demon and sink the ship!”

“Oh, Wynnette! Don’t say such dreadfully wicked things! You don’t mean them at all, you know you don’t! Consider how many good people would be drowned if the ship should sink! And how many people would grieve all their lives after them!” said little Elva.

“Well, I’ll take that back again! I know I do talk too much with my mouth—I mean speak without mature consideration,” said Wynnette.

“So my scamp has gone back to England, has he? I wonder if he will try to marry a dook’s darter? Or a markiss’ widder? He’s got cheek enough for anything! I declare, I ought to follow him up, to keep him out of mischief! I mean, of course, out of doing other folks mischief! I don’t care a snap of my finger how much mischief he does himself! The more, the better, sez I! But I ought to go for him to prevent him from preying upon other people! And I would, too, if I had money enough! ’Pon my word, I’m a great mind to go to New York and try to get a place as stewardess on one of the ocean steamers, so as to go after him! I’ll think of it, anyway.”

The conversation was interrupted by the opening of the door and the entrance of Miss Meeke, followed by Dr. Ingle.

There was a pretty flush on the usually pale cheeks of the young governess, and some little embarrassment in her manner, which was almost unnoticed, however, in the cordial greeting that was given to the young physician by all the family and guests in the room, and with all of whom he was acquainted, excepting only the lady from the California mines, to whom Mrs. Force duly presented him, and by whom he was received with gushing welcome.

“Sit right down here on the sofa by me, doctor! I dare say you have heard a deal of reports about me, and now I’m gwine to tell you the truth about myself, so that you can get it pure and fresh from first quarters!”

And, having found a new auditor, the lady from Wild Cats’ began the story of her life, and talked on until the dinner was announced. That stopped her.