him; the long dark cloak, still clasped round Kathleen's throat, set off her faultless symmetry of form, and her refined and regular features received an additional charm from the sunshine of that grave, sweet smile. He was a little ashamed of his greeting, conscious that there was a limit to discourtesy which he was not privileged to transgress, even though a reputation for saying cutting things gave him great latitude in that way. So he said, when he had warmed his hands and recovered his good-humour over the fire,

"Forgive my quotation, Lady De Cressy. You must know, that I was a prodigy in my youth; I learned to repeat L'Allegro and Il Penseroso on my seventh birthday, and ever since I have been unable to refrain from quoting them on every opportune or inopportune occasion."

"L'Allegro is, in general, most applicable to Kathleen," said Lord De Cressy; "she must have walked too far, and tired herself, or we should not have caught her mooning."

“Or firing, rather," said Kathleen, lightly. "My lady moon is too cold and clear to dream over."

On the whole, the first evening passed off better than had been anticipated on either side. At least, Lord De Cressy was satisfied that Kathleen's grace and beauty had made a favourable impression on his uncle, and that he was touched by her anxiety to satisfy his rather luxurious tastes. And Kathleen magnanimously admitted that he was more amiable than at their former meeting at Lady Harriet's luncheon-table. Yet the tone of his mind was too repulsive to her own, in its cold

calculation and worldly wisdom, to find favour in her eyes, and she concluded, that though it was necessary to be civil to Lionel's uncle, and their guest, she could never really like him.

CHAPTER XXV.

Es kann nichts Gefährlicheres geben, als der dauernde Umgang mit Alltagsmenschen: leidet auch der Charakter nicht unmittelbar, so wird doch ein trockner, dumpfer, gedrückter Zustand entstehen, der die Freiheit mehr, oder weniger beschränkt.

PERTHES.

"Он, Lionel," said Kathleen, when she left the farm with her husband, after they had seen the labourers sit down to the dinner, or rather supper, provided for them on the afternoon of Christmas Day, "I made such a curious discovery but you were talking to Joynes at the time, so that I could not tell you until Mr. Brooke was gone. My compassion for his solitary evening was thrown away, for it seems that his sister and two or three children are at the vicarage, and her husband, Captain O'Donnell, is expected in time for dinner.

He

is in the regiment, quartered at Newcastle so he must be my cousin Johnny, whom I have not seen since he was at Hedworth, years ago, before he went into the army."

"Indeed!" said Lord De Cressy, and his recollection of Lady Harriet's warning against "the hordes of Irish relations" was not needed to make the tone of his reply very dry and discouraging.

"He was such a nice boy then," continued Kathleen eagerly, for she could not, or would not, see that the

subject was not acceptable. "And he was papa's godson; I shall be so glad to see him again."

"I know nothing of Captain O'Donnell," said Lord De Cressy, "but I saw his wife in the vicarage pew an underbred little woman. I think I have spoken to her once or twice."

"She was shabbily dressed," said Kathleen, "and I suppose they are poor. But I am quite sure that Johnny is not vulgar."

"Though you have not seen him since he was a boy in a round jacket? As I said just now, I know nothing of Captain O'Donnell, but I am not quite so ready to assume that an Irish officer in a marching regiment is necessarily a gentleman."

Kathleen looked up quickly. "I am Irish, Lionel." "That inconsequent remark certainly betrays a Hibernian origin," said Lord De Cressy, smiling. "Do you suppose that I meant to include you in my strictures on the officers of a marching regiment?"

Kathleen tried to smile, but the effort was not very successful; and Lord De Cressy added, in a gentler tone, "I did not mean to tease you, Kathleen; and since your heart is set on seeing Cousin Johnny again, I will ask him and his wife, even his wife's brother, if you like, to dinner, as soon as my uncle is gone."

"I am afraid," said Kathleen, "that the O'Donnells will be gone first. I gathered from what Mr. Brooke said, that their stay was to be very short."

"We are not bound to know that, if he did not expressly say so. However, you can please yourself about sending an invitation for some day next week."

Kathleen made no reply, finding it difficult to be grateful for a concession so ungraciously made.

Mr. De Cressy had not gone to afternoon service, for he thought, in common with most elderly gentlemen, that a country church was necessarily cold and damp, involving an attack of rheumatism; and he now sauntered towards them, rather impatient of his afternoon's solitude. "Well, Lady De Cressy," he said, "you look as if the vicar's sermon had been unusually long and tiresome."

Kathleen laughingly disclaimed the imputation. "As it happens, there was no sermon; but we went round by the farm to see the labourers' dinner. It was such a pretty sight, in that picturesque old barn."

"Ah, indeed! I suppose that you mean to follow the fashion of these days, and start as a Lady Bountiful.”

"I do not wish to start as Lady anything," said Kathleen, colouring. "I have wished before to ask you to call me by my name, unless you wish to disown the relationship of uncle and niece."

"Have you religious scruples about titles?" said Mr. De Cressy, not much touched by the gracefulness of the request. "I observe that you never give my nephew his due."

Kathleen considered this an impertinent allusion to her practice of calling her husband by his Christian name, and she disdained to reply. So Mr. De Cressy resumed, after a moment's pause, "And after all, Lady De Cressy or Kathleen, if you will have it so there is a distinction between connexion and relationship, as I had occasion to impress on a friend of mine the other day."

"I imagined," said Kathleen, "that the distinction was in general sufficiently well defined."