Barbara Rebell

t with sour is

it be cove

gs that may b

men do set but

en

y Mrs. Turke's ambiguous utterances, but his own knowledge of her pa

verwhelmed by the shameful accusation of cheating at cards; the subsequent libel case which had developed into a mid-Victorian cause célèbre; the

else than at Chancton Priory. Her presence here could not

n-with the one exception of his sister Arabe

thought, "Mrs. Rebell, sir, is in the Blue

feminine presence. It had been just after his first term at Oxford, when he still felt something of the schoolboy: Madame Sampiero, beautiful and gracious as she only knew how to be, had received him with great kindness, striving to put him completely

fair-haired Julia, the incarnation of happy childhood. Her mother had placed her, laughing, beside the rather fantastic portrait which was then be

years, another woman should be installed as mistress of the room towards which he was bending his steps. So

ought him into temporary contact. As he passed through into the Blue drawing-room, he became at once aware that the former ordered beauty of the apartment had been restored, and tha

yet, as she turned towards him, he saw that her whole bearing was instinct with a rather desperate dignity. She was not at all what the man advancing towards her

irectly faced him,-the expression of her face that of a shrinking and proud embarrassment. Then

she can have made you understand how very very good she and Mr. Johnstone both were. I am the bearer of several things from Grace. Also"-her low grave voice faltered-"I wish to ask if you will be

self-esteem in being taken for another person, and especially in receiv

mes Berwick. Oliver Boringdon, Mrs. Johnstone's brother, lives at Chancton

a gentle and rather abstracted way, at ease. The man now standing close to her suddenly felt as if in the presence of a shy and yet confiding creature-one only half tame, ready to spring away at any rough unmannerly approach. He caught hims

ting on his arm. They were childishly small and delicate. She must have, he thought, a singularly pretty foot:

ignty of Chancton Priory. Indeed, soon he was glad that she had chosen so to place herself that, whenever he looked up, he saw her small head-the ivory tinted face so curiously framed by short cu

: McGregor, it was clear, had lost touch with the outside world. Berwick was glad too that Mrs. Rebell wore no jewels,-not even, to his surprise, a wedding ring. She must be even more out of touch with her contemporaries than McGregor! And y

ght their newly-wedded wives straight home. The last Rebells to have done so must have been Madame Sampiero's grandfather and grandmother, her own and her god-daughter's common ancesto

or husband and wife. So do folk judge by mere appearance! The fact that for himself as well as for her marriage was out of

haps the most arresting features were the penetrating bright blue eyes. The strong jaw-not a handsome feature, this-was partly concealed by a ragged straw-coloured moustache, many shades lighte

nd she showed me the many portraits she has there of you; that being so, I ce

e the smile faded, and a look o

xperiment: he waited: ah! yes, that was it! The painful associatio

old friend of mine, Mrs. Rebell, and it is

less left hand with a nervous gesture: sh

took me into her own house and nursed me well again. It seemed so very strange a coincidence that her mother and brother should be l

between them. If you will allow me to be rather impertinent, to take advantage of our relationship-you know my gr

youthfulness which had so disarmed h

you are returning to them. I will see that they receive it safely." Some instinct-the outcome, perhaps, of many money

ave come home." Barbara was blushing, and Berwick saw tears shining in her eyes. He felt od

t was the case. But I do not think Mrs.

e might be going upstairs, that he would not

and I will join you there in a few moments. I am going over to my

iel window. Then he made his way round, almost stealthily, to the stretch of lawn on which opened the French windows of the two drawing-rooms. The curtains were not drawn: McGregor, and

Indeed, she was quite near the window, sitting-an hour ago the fact would have shocked him-at Madame Sampiero's own writing-table, at that exquisite Louis XV

g over the notepaper, her slight supple figure thrown forward in a curiously graceful attitude. Again and again Berwick, walking and smoking outside, stopped and

tch of Mrs. Richard Rebell, Barbara's lovely mother. He felt certain that the daughter would greatly value it. How surely his instinct had guided him he himself hardly knew. Ba

ick, never seen to more advantage than when exerting himself to please and interest the stricken mistress of Chancton Priory, told news of that abs

ames, mentioned so familiarly before her, were remembered as having been spoken by her father, but this evening, seeing how much this question-this mysterious question of the Ins and the

vernment which had already earned the nickname of "The Long Parliament"-did not add much to Mrs. Rebell's knowledge of contemporary statecraft. Still, her attention never flagge

cKirdy into the room pro

h sadly involved, "Ay, ay, I've no doubt that all this company and talking has made ye feel more alive, but we don't want you to be f

were in the corridor. "I hope I ha

e her feel alive-no wonder she looks forward to

fully, for a moment. "I expect to be here

arbara turned and made him an old-fashioned curtsey-such an obeisance as French and Italian girls are taught to make to those of r

insists on your coming back just for a moment. Now don't go exciting of

was fond of McKirdy with an old fondn

fty cubits set apart for the Prim

ave to wait a long time

east the chance of living

urned out, very little to say, a

why shouldn't she? They are absolutely unlike," a not unkindly smile came over his face. He added, "I am sure my uncle will be charmed with her," then bent forward to catch the faltering utterance, "Yes, I k

time quite unaware that it lay in wait for him to catch him tripping, was certain. But even so, any little matter, such as a moment of sudden instinctive

erant part in his life. Arabella Berwick always remembered that her brother's dead wife, behaving on this unique occasion as a man might have done, and as men hav

xperiment; and what he saw of marriage about him did not incline him to envy the lot of the average married man. Accordingly, the condition of bachelorhood attaching to his present wealth pressed very lightly on him. It was, however, always present to Miss Berwick, and when h

womenfolk. Berwick went into many worlds to which his sister had no wish to have access, but both before his marriage and since he had become a widower, she had been careful to throw him, as far as lay in her power, with women who could in no way dispute her own position as his trusted counsellor and friend. This was made the more easy because James Berwick in all good faith disliked that feminine type whic

, and for a while, perhaps from June to August, Arabella would tremble. On one occasion she had conveyed some idea of her brother's position to an astute lady who had regarded him

his country which stand so much in the way of the ambitious young statesman. Such ladies, as Miss Berwick well knew, have a disconcerting knack of getting rid of their legal impediment to re-marriage. Berwick had lately had a very narrow escape from such a one. In the sharp discussion between the brother and sis

not permit herself to judge those about her, and far preferred not to know of their transgressions. When such knowledge was thrust upon her-as had nece