266 The Real Charlotte, 



clear to Aunt Tish's comprehension which was of a rudi- 

 mentary sort in such matters, and apt to jump to crude con- 

 clusions. Perhaps she had become aware that even the 

 ordinary atmosphere of her three months at Lismoyle was 

 as far beyond Aunt Tish's imagination as the air of Paradise, 

 but she certainly was not inclined to enlarge on her senti- 

 mental experiences to her aunt and cousins \ all that they 

 knew was, that she had '* moved in high society," and that 

 she had fought with Charlotte Mullen on general and 

 laudable grounds. It was difficult at times to parry the 

 direct questions of Ida, who, at sixteen, had already, with 

 the horrible precocity prevalent in her grade of society, 

 passed through several flirtations of an out-door and illicit 

 kind ; but if Ida's curiosity could not be parried it could be 

 easily misled, and the family belief in Francie's power of 

 breaking, impartially, the hearts of all the young men whom 

 she met, was a shield to her when she was pressed too 

 nearly about " young Mr. Dysart," or " th' officers." Loud, 

 of course, and facetious were the lamentations that Francie 

 had not returned " promised " to one or other of these 

 heroes of romance, but not even Ida's cultured capacity 

 could determine which had been the more probable victim. 

 The family said to each other in private that Francie had 

 " got very close " ; even the boys were conscious of a certain 

 strangeness about her, and did not feel inclined to show her, 

 as of yore, the newest subtlety in catapults, or the latest 

 holes in their coats. 



She herself was far more conscious of strangeness and 

 remoteness ; though, when she had first arrived at Albatross 

 Villa, the crowded, carpetless house, and the hourly conflict 

 of living were reviving and almost amusing after the thunder- 

 ous gloom of her exit from Tally Ho. Almost the first 

 thing she had done had been to write to Hawkins to tell 

 him of what had happened ; a letter that her tears had 

 dropped on, and that her pen had flown in the writing of, 

 telling how she had been turned out because she had re- 

 fused — or as good as refused — Mr. Dysart for his — Gerald's 

 — sake, and how she hoped he hadn't written to Tally Ho, 

 " for it's little chance there'd be Charlotte would send on the 

 letter." Francie had intended to break off at this point, and 

 leave to Gerald's own conscience the application of the 



