by over-examination, and poisoning their minds by free-thinking
opinions. In her belief, if it went on, the motherly of England
would refuse to send their sons to these ancient but deadly resorts.
She looked at him sternly as she spoke, as though defying him to
be flippant in return. And he, indeed, did his polite best to be
serious.

But it somewhat disconcerted him in the middle to find Miss Leyburn's
eyes upon him. And undeniably there was spark of laughter in them,
quenched, as soon as his glance crossed hers, under long lashes.
How that spark had lit up the grave, pale face! He longed to provoke
it again, to cross over to her and say, 'What amused you? Do you
think me very young and simple? Tell me about these people.'

But, instead, ho made friends with Rose. Mrs. Seaton was soon
engaged in giving the vicar advice on his parochial affairs, an
experience which generally, ended by the appearance of certain
truculent elements in one of the mildest of men. So Robert was
free to turn to his girl neighbor and ask her what people meant by
calling the Lakes rainy.

'I understand it is pouring at Oxford. To-day your sky has been
without a cloud, and your rivers are running dry.'

'And you have mastered our climate in twenty-four hours, like the
tourists--isn't it?--that do the Irish question in three weeks?'

'Not the answer of a bread-and-butter miss,' he thought to himself,
amused, 'and yet what a child it looks.'