boy shall come and go, speak or hold his tongue, as he pleases. No one
shall cross him--Horace least of all--while I'm master here, Harriet; but
that won't be very long."

"I don't want you to think any harm of Percival's silence," she answered
gently. "I don't for one moment suppose he has any secrets to be ashamed
of. I myself like people to be open, that is all."

"If I wanted to know anything Percival would tell me," said Mr. Thorne.

Mrs. Middleton's charity was great. She hid the smile she could not
repress. "Well," she said, "perhaps I am not fair to Percival, but,
Godfrey, you are not quite just to Horace."

He turned upon her: "Unjust to Horace? _I?_"

She knew what he meant. He had shown Horace signal favor, far above his
cousin, yet what she had said was true. Perhaps some of the injustice had
been in this very favor. "Here are our truants!" she exclaimed. She and her
brother had not talked so confidentially for years, but the moment her eyes
fell on Sissy her thoughts went back to the point at which Mr. Thorne had
disturbed them: "My dearest Sissy, I am so afraid you will catch cold."

"It can't be done to-night," said Percival. "Won't you come and try?" But
the old lady shook her head.

"All right, auntie! we won't stop out," said Sissy; and a moment later she
made her appearance in the drawing-room with her hands full of roses, which
she tossed carelessly on the table. Mr. Thorne had picked up his paper, and
stood turning the pages and pretending to read, but she pushed it aside to