248 The Real Charlotte. 



ings, red-eyed and dejected, and pondering over how best 

 to keep from her cousin any glimmering of what had 

 happened. All her old self posed and struck attitudes 

 before the well-imagined mirror of her friends' minds, and 

 the vanity that was flattered by success cried out petulantly 

 against the newer soul that enforced silence upon it. She 

 felt quite impartially how unfortunate it was that she should 

 have given her heart to Gerald in this irrecoverable way, 

 and then with a headlong change of ideas she said to her- 

 self that there was no one like him, and she would always, 

 always care for him, and nobody else. 



This point having been emphasised by a tug at her 

 needle that snapped the darning cotton. Miss Fitzpatrick 

 was embarking upon a more pleasurable train of possi- 

 bilities when she heard Charlotte's foot in the hall, and fell 

 all of a sudden down to the level of the present. Charlotte 

 came in and .shut the door with her usual decisive slam ; 

 she went over to the sideboard and locked up the sugar 

 and jam with a sharp glance to see if Louisa had tampered 

 with either, and then sat down at her davenport near 

 Francie and began to look over her account books. 



"Well, I declare," she said after a minute or two, "it's a 

 funny thing that I have to buy eggs, with my yard full of 

 hens ! This is a state of things unheard of till you came 

 into the house, my young lady ! " 



Francie looked up and saw that this was meant as a 

 pleasantry. 



" Is it me ? I wouldn't touch an egg to save my life ! " 



" Maybe you wouldn't," replied Charlotte with the same 

 excessive jocularity, "but you can give tea-parties, and 

 treat your friends to sponge-cakes that are made with 

 nothing but eggs ! *' 



Francie scented danger in the air, and having laughed 

 nervously to show appreciation of the jest, tried to change 

 the conversation. 



'' How do you feel to-day, Charlotte?" she asked, work- 

 ing away at her stocking with righteous industry ; " is your 

 headache gone? I forgot to ask after it at breakfast." 



" Headache ? I'd forgotten I'd ever had one. Three 

 tabloids of antipyrin and a good night's rest ; that was all / 

 wanted to put me on my pegs again. But if it comes to 



