think of her? isn't she pretty? There is something charming about her even when she is most wild and harum-scarum.”

"Oh yes, there is," answered he, leisurely. "Have you finished your knives and forks? Would you mind just playing this?"

He placed before her Mendelssohn's Frühlings Lied; and Christina at once readily complied. He stood by the window looking out while she played, with a curious amused pleased expression on his countenance, scanning the lime-tree outside. When she ended he said quietly, "Thank you; yes, that is something worth listening to."

CHAPTER VI.

"I would not have you to invade each place,
Nor thrust yourself on all societies,

Till men's affections, or your own desert

Should worthily invite you to your rank."

WHEN Lady Margaret heard of her sister's adventure, she could not help uttering a few words of mild remonstrance.

'Really, Bessy dear, you must not be so childish; if you don't learn to leave off such foolish freaks, you will get talked about."

"Not by the Grahames," said Bessy, confidently, "but you are right, Maggie; it was very childish, and I dare say extremely absurd. I'll not do it again—I mean, I'll not climb up into that particular limetree again; besides, I promised mamma to be good in town, on condition I might run wild again when I get home. O dear! it was great fun at the time! and yet I wish I hadn't," she said to herself.

Lady Margaret, accompanied by Bessy, called in Claremont Street one afternoon. Only Mrs. Earle was at home, and Margaret was favourably impressed by the fairy-like old lady in her own little domain. The difficulties of conversation served to make the visit a very short one and they soon departed, leaving an invitation for Kenneth and his sister to come to Curzon Street the next Thursday evening.

Christina was much excited when she read the note. To her mind it was quite clear that the Dacres wished to restore them to their rightful place in society, and she said so to Kenneth as she handed him the letter.

"This isn't patronage, you see, but friendship."

"I'm glad they don't ask you in order to play."

"In that case they wouldn't have wanted you, sir. No-they treat us on terms of equality."

"Eh? Is that it?

How are we to return these civilities ?"

'Oh, not in the same way, of course. But-let me see, Lady Elizabeth is coming one day to go with me to S. Stephen's, and I'll give her a cup of tea beforehand," said Christina, defiantly.

"Very well; up in the lime-tree, I suppose ?"

"Now Kenneth! I'm not going to encourage my pupil to be naughty, but shall I write and say we will go ?"

"O yes, if you like. They evidently wish to be friendly, and I don't think we need stand aloof from everybody."

Christina was a little surprised at her brother's ready consent. It was not she who wished to stand aloof from any one; but Kenneth generally seemed reluctant to accept the few invitations that came in their way. He was always glad to find some excuse when they were asked to dine at the Vicarage, and Christina had fully expected him to exclaim, "What a bore!" on this occasion, and to go over all the old objections, besides those he had expressed as to their having anything to do with the Dacres. She could only suppose that the sight of the charming Lady Elizabeth had gone some way towards reconciling him to the present owners of Glendarroch.

Christina looked forward with high delight to the Thursday evening, and she informed Mrs. Brooks, not without some pride, of her good fortune in being asked to a real grown-up party.

The good lady's curiosity was excited.

"What? you are getting quite grand—a ladyship for a pupil, and now invited to a Mayfair Soirée! you will have nothing to say to us soon."

"You don't think me so silly as that, do you? But it's merely the result of my appearing at the Professor's concert," added Christina in triumphant malice.

"You need not be set up about it, my dear, then; depend upon it, you are asked as a professional-just to help to make the party go off well. You'd better not expect too much, or you will be disappointed."

"Indeed it is not that, Mrs. Brooks, for they have asked Kenneth to come also-and besides, they called on us and Mrs. Earle all in due form; I'm sure they only want to be kind and friendly."

"Well, my dear, it may be as you say," replied Mrs. Brooks, after a few moments' silence. "It's a fine thing, no doubt, to come of a good family; I don't grudge you your grand acquaintances, but I sometimes wish I had a few noble ancestors to boast of."

Christina went home from the Vicarage well pleased with herself and with Mrs. Brooks. Kenneth, however, as the day drew near, seemed to have relapsed into his usual mood of distaste for dissipation. "I wish it were over!" he said the evening before.

"O, Ken, I'm sure you will like them. It's not like a long dull dinner party either. You will only have to make talk for an hour or so. I don't think you will find it a bore."

"That's the very thing," he said, leaning back in his chair so as to balance it perilously, "if it is not to be a bore, it will be too pleasantfor me, I mean. I doubt whether the experiment is a wise one.

I don't think the acquaintance has done you any harm, at present." "Harm? too pleasant? what do you mean ?”

But

"You don't find your chains heavier for seeing what life would be without them-no, I think it's good for you to see something of people above the level of Snapes and Crowthers."

"Perhaps you see signs of improvement already," laughed Christina, "though I haven't come to climbing trees yet!"

He also laughed, and said no more. After all, it was the right thing to go, and accept the kindness of the Dacres just as it was meant. For Christina's sake the acquaintance was to be desired; and perhaps there was something morbid in wishing to be entirely cut off from the world. So he submitted to his fate with a very good grace. If Lady Margaret had ever had any misgivings as to the wisdom of allowing the acquaintance, they were quite set at rest by the confidence she could not help instinctively feeling in the young man himself. There are some people who unconsciously create in others the impression of trustworthiness; "a full assurance given by looks." Kenneth was quiet, gentle, and dignified, completely at his ease, catching at once by instinct the tone of the house. To Christina he appeared in a new light. She, on the contrary, though she had been in the house so often before, felt constrained, shy, and formal, while he bore himself as if all the surroundings, to her so alarming, were to him familiar enough to be matters of indifference. In the company of the would-be "genteel," or in the fussy parochial atmosphere of the Vicarage, Kenneth looked as he felt, stiff and bored, but here his naturally fastidious nature received no shocks. He was able to perceive and reciprocate the pleasant high-bred friendliness with which he was greeted by Lady Margaret and Sir George. How different from the alternate timidity and pretension of the Snapes, or the oppressive chatter of Miss Crowther, or

the homely self-importance of good Mrs. Brooks! Not that Kenneth made these comparisons then and there. He only felt the pleasure of all things being right and in tune, instead of constantly jarring. The pleasure was all the greater too, because he had been debarred from it so long; and Christina saw that he enjoyed the evening more than she did. She was oppressed by the profusion of lights, and comforts, and prettinesses, by the handsome furniture and livery-clad servants, and by the distinguished guests who came in one after another, and talked, and moved about with so much ease and elegance. The hard-working girl, generally so full of courage and confidence, now felt struck with awe, and even dismay. She endured in silence, looking something like her brother in the company of their Claremont Street friends, nor could she feel at ease until she was safely seated by the piano. There was a little music, and Kenneth, who had been anxious about the matter, was much relieved to find that his sister was merely asked, and not expected, to play. One other lady performed, and Lady Margaret sang a little, and then Kenneth found himself singing glees with them, till the evening came to an end much too quickly.

He

Elizabeth, like Christina, experienced the unaccustomed annoyance from shyness. She was a little disappointed in Kenneth himself. talked more to Sir George than to her, and seemed perfectly unconscious of anything out of the common way in their former meeting. “I see how it is,” she said to herself. “He thinks me a mere child, he has never given a thought to the strangeness of my proceedings. Well, it is best so, perhaps. But I should like him to have a better opinion of me." Her shyness soon wore off, and she gradually forgot to think about herself at all in his presence. That evening was the first of a series. Lady Margaret was not going out much that season, and liked having these quiet little "at homes." Christina soon began to enjoy them nearly as much as Kenneth, though there were sometimes more guests collected, and more luxuries displayed. To her brother they were truly delightful interludes in a life of hard and laborious routine. Friendship and religion had done much for his happiness; but now a door was suddenly opened into the world of culture, and ease, and refinement, from which he had been shut out for years. He felt the renewed charm of this Eden-like existence, but it had no power to shake his allegiance to his vocation. Instead of weakening his resolve, it spurred him on to more vigorous exertion. Life grew brighter and sweeter altogether; and he was too happy

to stop to analyse the secret spring of this new and exhilarating stream of pleasure.

"What a thoroughly nice, good, sensible fellow that is!" said Sir George. "Not a spark of priggishness or self-assertion, like those awfully clever young men fresh from the University, full of their own ideas, Grahame knows how to listen, as well as to talk. He has his own opinion, but he does not flourish it in one's face, and his experiences are worth something besides; Prestmore was struck with what he said about model lodging-houses."

'Yes, you called him away to talk drainage when we were having a most interesting art debate about old Italian paintings, with Mr. North, and Lady Romer, and Arthur Merivale all putting in their word, and then it turned out that Mr. Grahame knew all the old pictures in the National Gallery, which no one else could remember, and we were cross-examining him about Botticelli."

66

I dare say he was glad to be called off to a more sensible, useful discussion," said Sir George. "I begin to hate the very sound of Art! People are gone mad about it in these days."

"Now George, don't be profane!" cried Bessy. "I mean to live for Art."

"Then don't talk about it, and your self-denial will prove whether your enthusiasm is genuine."

It was pleasant to Elizabeth when she found that all men spoke well of her hero. Some of Sir George's distinguished friends frequently singled him out, as one whose experience and opinions were worth consideration, and Christina's heart was filled with joy and pride when she saw Kenneth's merits recognised by men eminent in politics, or literature, or science. She felt herself several inches taller in consequence of being the sister of such a brother; nor could she refrain from vaunting the new glories of the family in the ears of their Claremont Street friends. Mrs. Earle was no less proud of what she considered their rise in the world; and the Snapes and Crowthers, after their first wonder and curiosity had been satisfied, shrank back in silent awe, from the increased lustre of their "bright particular star." Christina lost in popularity though she gained in grandeur. It was Kenneth who recalled her to herself.

"O dear! are we to have those dreadful Crowthers here ?" she exclaimed, when he told her that the organist was coming in to tea one evening.