The Real Charlotte. 345 



of waiting, they went on, at Christopher's suggestion, to see 

 the bluebells in the wood that girdled the little bay of Bruff. 

 Before they reached the gate of the wood, Miss Mullen had 

 attached herself to Christopher, having remarked, with 

 engaging frankness, that Mr. Hawkins could only talk to her 

 about Lismoyle, and she wanted Sir Christopher to tell her 

 of the doings of the great world ; and Francie found herself 

 following them with Hawkins by her side. The walk turned 

 inwards and upwards from the lake, climbing, by means of 

 a narrow flight of moss-grown stone steps, till it gained the 

 height of about fifty feet above the water. Walking there, 

 the glitter of the lake came up brokenly to the eye, through 

 the beech-tree branches, that lay like sprays of maiden- 

 hair beneath them; and over the hill and down to the 

 water's edge and far away among the grey beech stems, the 

 bluebells ran like a blue mist through all the wood. Their 

 perfume rose like incense about Francie and her companion 

 as they walked slowly, and ever more slowly, along the path. 

 The spirit of the wood stole into their veins, and a pleasure 

 that they could not have explained held them in silence that 

 they were afraid to break. 



Hawkins was the first to make a diffident comment. 



** They're ripping, aren't they ? They're a great deal 

 better than they were last year." 



" I didn't see them last year." 



" No, I know you didn't," he said quickly ; " you didn't 

 come to Lismoyle till the second week in June." 



" You seem to remember more about it than I do," said 

 Francie, still maintaining her attitude of superiority. 



" I don't think I'm likely to forget it," he said, turning 

 and looking at her. 



She looked down at the ground with a heightening colour 

 and a curl of the lip that did not come easily. If she found 

 it hard to nurse her anger against Charlotte, it was thrice 

 more difficult to harden herself to the voice to which one 

 vibrating string in her heart answered in spite of her. 



" Oh, there's nothing people can't forget if they try ! " she 

 said, with a laugh. " I always find it much harder to re- 

 member ! " 



" But people sometimes succeed in doing things they 

 don't like," said Hawkins pertinaciously. 



