"Surely you wish to go too," said Bessie to Alison, "if only to
relieve them of the little girl! I'll take care of the boys. Pray
go."

"Thank you," said Alison, surprised at her knowledge of the state of
things, "but they are quite hardened to Rose's presence, and I think
would rather miss her."

And in fact Alison did not feel at all sure that, when stimulated by
Bessie's appreciation of their mischief, her flock might not in her
absence do something that might put their mother in despair, and make
their character for naughtiness irretrievable; so Leoline and Hubert
were summoned, the one from speculations whether Lord Keith would
have punched his brother, the other from amaze that there was
anything our military secretary could not do, and Conrade and Francis
were arrested in the midst of a significant contraction of the
nostrils and opening of the mouth, which would have exploded in an
"eehaw" but for Bessie's valiant undertaking to be herself and Lady
Temple both at once.

Soon Colonel Keith was knocking at Ermine's door, and Rose was
clinging to him, glowing and sparkling with shy ecstasy; while,
without sitting down again after her greeting, Rachel resolutely took
leave, and walked away with firm steps, ruminating on her
determination not to encourage meetings in Mackarel Lane.

"Better than I expected!" exclaimed Colonel Keith, after having
ushered her to the door in the fulness of his gratitude. "I knew it
was inevitable that she should be here, but that she should depart so