Once when, in somewhat bad taste, Dym persisted in pressing him on some point, he patted her gently on the shoulder with his great hand, and said, soothingly, "Nay, nay, Miss Elliott, I'm a plain man; one doesn't like to use a downright No to a lady, so be a sensible girl and don't ask me any more." And Dym for a long time after that felt like a scolded child.

But he never checked her long girlish preambles, and on the present occasion smoked his pipe in profound gravity while Dym told her story; and when she repeated her question a second time, "Why does she think your sister will have more influence with the squire ?" he drew a long whiff, and muttered, "It is not thinking; she knows it ;" and then, in his usual manner,

"Bless me, Miss Elliott, don't you know the Duchess can do what she likes? Haven't you found out yet who is the village peacemaker, and the Lady Bountiful of the whole place?"

"I suppose it is your sister.'

"Honor-of course it is Honor. From Dame Ford to the squire, there is not one of them that can do without her. Bless her, they know what a noble heart she has. There is not a lady in the land that can compete with her."

Humphrey's hearty enthusiasm was very pleasant to Dym. She gave a sympathizing smile, and waited for him to go on.

"From the moment she grew up to be a woman, and almost before, nothing would do but Honor-Honor. I never knew the time when a child would not run to her and hide its head in her lap. I have seen the very babies try to clamber out of their mothers' arms to get to her. I suppose there is something winsome in her very face."

"That is what I have felt," returned Dym, thoughtfully; and then Humphrey took another whiff and went on.

"I don't believe that there is ever a man, woman, or child taken sick for miles round that Honor is not sent for. The number of death-beds she has attended is astonishing. I have seen her come home from a child's funeral looking as pitiful almost as the poor mother. She is gossip, as they call it, to half the babies in the place. She adopted a whole family once." "She must be very good," sighed Dym.

"Ay, 'the good lady,' as they call her. Talking of every

one wanting Honor, did you ever hear of Gammer Jebbs's girl?" And, as Dym replied in the negative, Mr. Nethecote indulged in a hearty laugh at the reminiscence before he explained himself.

"It certainly shows no one can do without her. Well, it was one desperately cold night in January. We had had a rare snow-storm that day, and our field, and even the garden walks, were a foot deep in snow. I was just enjoying a first sweet sleep-it was not long past midnight-when something hard thrown up to my window roused me; and as this was repeated again and again, I had a vague idea-being only half awake that some school-boy was indulging in a practical jest, and throwing snow-balls at my window, and in some wrath I thrust my head out and asked who was there.

"You must know, Miss Elliott, my window looks over the outer wall and towards the road, and, what with the intense whiteness and the faint glimmer of starlight, I could just see a stooping figure under the wall, evidently preparing a fresh missile for the disturbance of my slumbers.

"Who are you?' I shouted out, in my gruffest tones, for a man does not like to be woke out of a first sleep.

"I'm Tabby-Gammer Jebbs's girl,' came up, in shrill

tones.

"And what do you want, Gammer Jebbs's girl?' I demanded, still more wrathfully.

'I

"I want t' mistress,' was the undaunted response. shied up at t' winder, but I didn't know it was yourn, maister. Grannie wants t' mistress particular.'

"Any one sick, Tabby?' I asked, rather more gently; for it was not a new thing for Honor now and then to be roused for the sake of a dying child, and I knew Gammer Jebbs was rather a favorite with the Duchess. 'Grandmother is not ill, is she?'

"Grannie's purely, maister, but t' coo is mighty bad; and grannie she says, "Tabby," she says, "just put on thy hood, lass, and run t' mistress. If we do naught till daybreak the poor beast will die. She gave me plenty of good stuff last year that cured feyther's rheumatiz-so maybe she will think of somethin' for Daisy." So please will mistress come and see grannie's coo?' Rather a cool request, was it not?" "Did you wake your sister, after all?"

"Honor was awake, and was enjoying the fun immensely; but, not being a veterinary surgeon, of course she knew nothing of 't' coo.' I had to go myself."

"What, through the snow, and in the middle of the night?"

"Would you have had me leave the poor beast to die? You would not do for a farmer's wife, Miss Elliott. I spent a good two hours in the shed, and never felt happier than when the poor thing got up on its legs again; it is hard to see these dumb creatures suffer."

"There is your sister," returned Dym, running forward to meet her; but Kiddle-a-wink was before her, and was jumping and barking round her like a mad thing. Miss Nethecote took him up and caressed him as she talked.

"Whither away, Duchess?"

"Down to Woodside, with Miss Elliott."

"Perhaps Miss Elliott would prefer a quiet luncheon here," suggested Humphrey.

"Miss Elliott has had sufficient luxury at Ingleside; she must make herself useful, and help me carve for the children. Come, Miss Elliott, you shall have your choice: a tête-à-tête meal with Humphrey, or a noisy luncheon with half a dozen riotous children, and an overtasked maid-of-all-work to wait on you?"

"Your picture is not inviting, but I will certainly go with you," replied Dym, who felt truly that she was allowed no choice in the matter; but how she did long for a quiet day at the cottage and another cosy talk with Honor!

"My sister is determined to make you a martyr as well as herself. No one understands her infatuation for Mrs. Grey, not even her husband, poor man! Duchess!"

፡፡

Well, Humphrey."

"I have put in some fine juicy plums and pears to go with your new-laid eggs. I suppose you have not forgotten your usual posy?"

"As though I should forget it, when flowers are Esther's chief pleasures! Keep Kiddle-a-wink, please, Humphrey; he makes such riot with the children.'

"Ay, ay," replied Humphrey ; but he stood idle a long time in the doorway, watching his sister and Miss Elliott disappear down the road, before he turned in at the gate with a sigh.

CHAPTER XIII.

HONOR'S INTERCESSION.

WOODSIDE, as Mr. Grey's house was called, lay in a little hollow scooped out of the main road, and forming a sort of dingle, beside which flowed the trout-stream; the garden ascended at the back, and led by a gate into a small pine-wood, which looked deliciously shady by day, but somewhat sombre by night, the house being perfectly lonely, with the exception of two cottages lower down the road.

Dym thought the steep garden beautiful, and longed to explore it; but on nearer view it was somewhat wild and uncultivated; weeds grew in the garden paths, and roses and lilies bloomed amid cabbages and tall straggling heads of asparagus; the ivy that covered the house was graceful in its negligence, but sadly required cropping and training; and two boys and a girl, looking equally uncared for, were playing at horses before the gate. They rushed up to Honor at once, and the leadera pretty little dark-eyed thing-exclaimed,

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Oh, I am so glad you've come, Miss Nethecote! Now mamma won't cry any more to-day."

"If mamma is ill, you should not have left her, Amy,” returned Honor, reprovingly. And the child hung her head.

"Mother said we might go out and play, as she wasn't well enough to hear us our lessons," shouted the driver—a sturdy bright-faced boy of nine.

"Never mind, Rupert, you shall do your Latin with me." observed Miss Nethecote, consolingly. And as the young student looked anything but gratified, she added, "I have some fine pears for some good children, but they must be fairly earned first."

"Oh, I'll come in and do my sums!" called out Edgar, the second boy.

"Mayn't I hem my duster ?" pleaded Amy.

Honor smiled, and then bade them all come in quietly by and by. She only wanted to introduce a new friend to their mother, and then she would attend to them.

The outside of the house had prepared Dym for the total want of comfort and even cleanliness in the inside; but, as Miss Nethecote observed in a low voice,

"How was a woman with bad health, and six children, and only one servant, to keep a place tidy and comfortable ?"

Dym thought she would have managed better when she saw the living-room of the family. The muslin curtains were torn and soiled; the table-cover spotted with ink; lesson-books strewn hither and thither; a Noah's ark was on the floor; and a sickly-looking child lay fast asleep with a box of tin soldiers beside her and a headless doll hugged tightly in her arms. Honor picked her up, by way of beginning, and nearly crushed a farmyard and half a dozen ducks and geese; two or three trees crackled crisply under her feet.

Mrs. Grey lay on a couch at the end of the room, with a piled-up basket of mending beside her. A great boy of three was fretfully trying to clamber up in her lap, and a beautiful infant lay fast asleep in an old-fashioned cradle with rockers. Honor deposited the sleeping child carefully on the couch at the mother's feet, and, lifting the boy into her arms, and rocking the cradle at the same time, quietly introduced Dym. 'Now, Esther, you must cheer up; for I have brought Miss Elliott to talk to you."

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A

"You have brought her into a sad untidy place, I am afraid; but I am very glad to see you, Miss Elliott, all the same. new face is rather a treat in these parts: I never see any one but Honor-never.'

"Except Mrs. Chichester and Mrs. Fortescue now and then, you mean. And you forget how kind Mrs. Trevor was last

summer."

"Yes; but she has not been for a long time. I was only saying so to Edward this morning; but, as I told him, what inducement can any one have to come to such a place? Please sit down, Miss Elliott. I am afraid the children have littered all the chairs."

Miss

"She shall have mine, for I want to clear up the room; and then I have promised to take Rupert to his lessons. Elliott, I believe you are fond of children: will you take poor Harry? he is not very well, and wants to be nursed." And, before Dym could answer, she found herself rocking the cradle, with a sleepy boy on her lap who took up all her attention.