after breakfast. Tom was not going to the concert. After taking Rose to
Cadogan Mansions he meant to hurry back.

He was anxious about his aunt. She had been so unlike herself during the
last few days, he feared she must be ill. And he felt sure he must have
offended her in some way, for she had seemed anxious to avoid him, and he
had hardly spoken to her since she came back from London.

Did she think he was taking too much on himself? He had got into the habit
lately of settling matters of minor importance without consulting her, so
as to save her trouble. Perhaps he had annoyed her by doing so. At
any rate, he would ask her if this was so. Tom's nature was so simple and
straightforward that this was the natural course for him to take. He
believed half the difficulties of life arose from the want of a little
plain speaking.

Miss Merivale had said little about her journey to town. She left Tom and
Rose under the impression that she had called at the lawyer's, and it was
not till the next day that she casually mentioned her visit to Mrs.
M'Alister.

"I have asked Miss Sampson to come and see me," she added, after telling
them that Rhoda was to do some typewriting for her. "I am interested in
her, Rose. Did you know that poor Lydia's second husband was named
Sampson? It is not at all certain that this girl is of the same family, as
she comes from quite a different part of Australia. But I should like to
see her."

Miss Merivale had had this speech carefully prepared ever since she came
home, and she uttered it so carelessly that neither Rose nor Tom suspected