'Mr. Egerton has been telling me about your adventure in the wood,
Milly,' Mrs. Collingwood said, as she rose to receive us. 'I hope it
will be a warning to you to be more careful in future. I think that
Cumber Wood is altogether too dangerous a place for two young ladies
like you and Miss Crofton.'

'The safest place in the world,' cried Angus Egerton. 'I shall
always be at hand to come to the ladies' assistance, and shall pray
for the timely appearance of an infuriated bull, in order that I may
distinguish myself by something novel in the way of a rescue. I hear
that you are a very charming artist, Miss Darrell, and that you have
done some of our oaks and beeches the honour to immortalise them.'

There is no need for me to record all the airy empty talk of that
evening. It was a very pleasant evening. Angus Egerton had received
his first lessons in the classics from the kind old Rector, and had
been almost a son of the house in the past, the girls told me. He
had resumed his old place upon his return, and seemed really fond of
these friends, whom he had found ready to welcome him warmly in
spite of all rumours to his disadvantage that had floated to
Thornleigh during the years of his absence.

He was very clever, and seemed to have been everywhere, and to have
seen everything worth seeing that the world contained. He had read a
great deal too, in spite of his wandering life; and the fruit of his
reading cropped up pleasantly now and then in his conversation.

There were no other guests, except an old country squire, who talked
of nothing but his farming. Milly sat next Angus Egerton; and from
my place on the other side of the table I could see how much she was