"Observe Miss Westerfield and your brother. Look at them now."

Randal obeyed.

"What is there to look at?" he inquired.

"Can't you see?"

"I see they are talking to each other."

"They are talking confidentially; talking so that Mrs. Linley
can't hear them. Look again."

Randal fixed his eyes on Mrs. Presty, with an expression which
showed his dislike of that lady a little too plainly. Before he
could answer what she had just said to him, his lively little
niece hit on a new idea. The sun was shining, the flowers were in
their brightest beauty--and the doll had not yet been taken into
the garden! Kitty at once led the way out; so completely
preoccupied in steering the perambulator in a straight course
that she forgot her uncle and the parasol. Only waiting to remind
her husband and Sydney that they were wasting the beautiful
summer morning indoors, Mrs. Linley followed her daughter--and
innocently placed a fatal obstacle in Mrs. Presty's way by
leaving the room. Having consulted each other by a look, Linley
and the governess went out next. Left alone with Randal, Mrs.
Presty's anger, under the complete overthrow of her
carefully-laid scheme, set restraint at defiance.

"My daughter's married life is a wreck," she burst out, pointing