lOO The Real Charlotte. 



care that Miss Dysart and the rest of them think you know 

 no better than to behave like that, 7 do ! " 



" Behave like what ? " 



" Well, for one thing, to let him and Garry Dysart go 

 sticking grass in your stockings that way after luncheon ; 

 and for another to keep Miss Dysart waiting tea for you for 

 half an hour, and your only excuse to be to tell her that he 

 was ' teaching you to make ducks and drakes ' the other 

 side of the island." The fatherly quality had died out of 

 his voice, and the knuckles of the hand that held the tiller 

 grew white from a harder grip. 



Francie instinctively tucked away her feet under her 

 petticoats. She was conscious that the green pattern still 

 adorned her insteps, and that tell-tale spikes of grass still 

 projected on either side of her shoes. 



" How could I help it ? It was just a silly game that he 

 and Garry Dysart made up between them ; and as for Miss 

 Dysart being angry with me, she never said a word to me. 

 She was awfully good ; and she and her brother had kept 

 the teapot hot for me, and everything." She looked 

 furtively at Christopher, who was looking out at the launch, 

 now crossing their path some distance ahead. *' It was 

 more than you'd have done for me ! " 



*' Yes, very likely it was ; but I wouldn't have been laugh- 

 ing at you in my sleeve all the time as they were, or at least 

 as he was, anyhow ! " 



" I believe that's a great lie," said Francie unhesitatingly ; 

 '' and I don't care a jack-rat what he thought, or what you 

 think either ! Mr. Hawkins is a very nice young man, and 

 I'll talk to him just as much as I like ! And he's coming 

 to tea at Tally Ho to-morrow ; and what's more, I asked 

 him ! So now ! " 



" Oh, all right ! " said Lambert, in such a constrained 

 voice of anger, that even Francie felt a little afraid of him. 

 " Have him to tea by all means ; and if I were you I should 

 send down to Limerick and have Miss McCarthy up to meet 

 him ! " 



" What are you saying ? Who's Miss M'Carthy ? " asked 

 Francie, with a disappointing sparkle of enjoyment in her 

 eyes. 



" She's the daughter of a George's Street tobacconist that 



