The Dull Miss Archinard

ad offered to join her brother; the prospect of the walk together was very pleasant. She

ke the walk, and Mary will approve of the

scent beauty, the trio seemed to enjoy the mile of beechwood and country road and the short sweep of prettily wooded drive that led to Allersley Priory, a square stone house covered with vines of magnolia and wisteria, and incorporating in its walls, according to tradition, portions of the old Prior

ctitious. She had a look of at once extreme fragility and fading beauty. One knew at the first glance that she was a woman to have cushions behind her and her b

till at the mi-jambe stage. Their long hair fell about their faces in childlike fashion. Katherine's was brown and strongly rippled; Hilda's softly, duskil

ittle air that reminded him of a Vel

ole was no joke, and Hilda swallowed lots of wat

he conscious power of a clever woman. Odd felt that the child was clever, and that the woman would be cleverer. He felt, too, that the black eyes were lit with just a spice of fun as

rseus to her, and papa the sea monster!" Then Katherine, having, as it were, introduced and paved the way for her

vidently had not her sister's ready mastery of what to say, and how to say it. O

o Odd's as he spoke, and left it there; the conf

k of as you went d

de of retrospective t

found the incident, it had not been funny to Hilda. "Have you lived here long?" he asked. Captain Archinard had joine

e my uncle died; about e

the time that I

lersley?" Hilda ask

en came back; but I lived in London and Paris, w

n London; I went to

liked

t little girl, and spoke quietl

e did you lik

put through the proper routine of questions, but a trust

hree F

the Elgi

; but one is rather

paused. Hilda did not see

eads," she suggested. "Do you like dogs?" s

Odd replied, with

there on the verandah, if y

s you'll show me the garden

pend the rest of his visit with her. They went out on the verandah, where, in the awning's shade, lay t

"They just belong to the whole family, you know. And this dear

amed y

d them by them, I thought I had a right to change them. I wanted names with associations, like Ka

stupefied. "You seem to have

hey are more general d

to stroke Arcite's pensive head, giving t

dd said. They crossed the grave

et. I have not read all, you know,

your f

es

favorite part of t

where Ar

like

much; do

er was a more perfect piece of pathos. Perhaps you remember it."

haven't a good memory,

u would say

ed up a li

!" she excla

ed down at her a humorous

nd it is too sad to say-one

ay it-this once

ood on the grassy brink of the river. Hilda l

ee the bottom; here the grasses and the pebbles are as disti

te. Don't make

aging, and in a gentle, monotonous little voice that, with the soft breeze, the quickly running sunlit river

! allas the p

have suffered

eth! allas

rting of o

rtes quene!

lady, ender

orld? What ask

love, now in

thouten an

autiful in art can give, especially the beautiful in tragic art. The far-away tale; the far-away tongue; the nearnes

thouten any

fully avoided looking at her while she spoke, fea

le girl had best not be allowed to dwell too long on Arcite and, aft

ing to take me

t made it all the worse. If he had not loved her he would not have minded

rt, Hilda. That's ungrateful of me, isn't it? But I am old enough to ta

ring smile was rea

nice being s

nto the garden, that she had

old garden. A border of deep purple pansies struck a beautifully meditative chord. Flowers always affected Odd musically; he half closed his eyes to look at the sweeps of sun-flooded color. A medley of Schuma

t jolly,

tween the pansy borders she kept her gentle smile

ng at the outer corners, gave the curious look of humorous sadness to the expression of his brown eyes. His moustache was cut shortly

d Odd. "I like the fragrance

d, and she came running back, her outstretched hands full of the summer fruit, red, but for the tips, still untinted. The sunlit white

awberries gratefully

them better at Allersley M

od. Won't you come some day t

like to

invited to tea, with the understanding that aft

to very much,"

g! Eat some yourself," said Odd

picked th

in his as they walked on ag

so st

s very generous." She la

all day besides sw

is strict, but a splendid teacher. Kather

ine fond o

called her dogs Darwin and Spencer. She hasn't read any of Spencer yet, but of course he is a great philosop

d Katherine even more s

"Katherine says that she did not care for it much, but she thought she ought to look through it if she wanted a foundation; she is very keen on foundations, and s

ne wrote tha

misunderstanding. "She loves sports of all kinds, and fun. She goes across country as well as any woma

do you do bes

here, walks in woods and on hills. I don't care for roads, do

Kathe

o near; to no one could she hint of that ache in her heart of which jealousy formed no part, for it was natural that papa should love Katherine best

deal, then?" said Odd. "Do

d to have grandmamma, you

rs. Archina

it of a lady in the drawing-room; he had noticed its likeness and unlikeness to Mrs. Archinard; a delicate