Have you known him long?' Now this was not at all the manner in which Roger had predetermined that he would speak of Sir Charles to Molly; but the words came out in spite of himself.'No! not long.I never saw him before I came here - on Tuesday.But Lady Harriet told him to see that I did not get tired, for I wanted to come down; but you know I have not been strong.He is a cousin of Lady Harriet's, and does all she tells him to do.' 'Oh! he is not handsome; but I believe he is a very sensible man.' 'Yes! I should think so.He is so silent though, that I can hardly judge.' 'He bears a very high character in the county,' said Roger, willing now to give him his full due.Molly stood up.'I must go upstairs,' she said; 'I only sate down here for a minute or two because Lady Harriet bade me.' 'Stop a little longer,' said he.'This is really the pleasantest place;this basin of water-lilies gives one the idea, if not the sensation, of coolness; besides - it seems so long since I saw you, and I have a message from my father to give you.He is very angry with you.' 'Angry with me?' said Molly, in surprise.'Yes! He heard that you had come here for change of air; and he was offended that you had not come to us - to the Hall, instead.He said that you should have remembered old friends!' Molly took all this quite gravely, and did not at first notice the smile on his face.'Oh! I am so sorry!' said she.'But will you please tell him how it all happened.Lady Harriet called the very day when it was settled that I was not to go to - ' Cynthia's wedding she was going to add, but she suddenly stopped short, and, blushing deeply, changed the expression, - 'go to London, and she planned it all in a minute, and convinced mamma and papa, and had her own way.There was really no resisting her.' 'I think you will have to tell all this to my father yourself, if you mean to make your peace.Why can you not come on to the Hall when you leave the Towers?' To go in the cool manner suggested from one house to another, after the manner of a royal progress, was not at all according to Molly's primitive home-keeping notions.She made answer, - 'I should like it very much, some time.But I must go home first.They will want me more than ever now -- ' Again she felt herself touching on a sore subject, and stopped short.Roger became annoyed at her so constantly conjecturing what he must be feeling on the subject of Cynthia's marriage.With sympathetic perception she had discerned that the idea must give him pain; and perhaps she also knew that he would dislike to show the pain: but she had not the presence of mind or ready wit to give a skilful turn to the conversation.All this annoyed Roger, he could hardly tell why.He determined to take the metaphorical bull by the horns.Until that was done, his footing with Molly would always be insecure; as it always is between two friends, who mutually avoid a subject to which their thoughts perpetually recur.'Ah, yes!' said he.'Of course you must be of double importance now Miss Kirkpatrick has left you.I saw her marriage in The Times yesterday.' His tone of voice was changed in speaking of her, but her name had been named between them, and that was the great thing to accomplish.'Still,' he continued, 'I think I must urge my father's claim for a short visit, and all the more, because I can really see the apparent improvement in your health since I came, - only yesterday.Besides, Molly,' it was the old familiar Roger of former days who spoke now, 'I think you could help us at home.Aimée is shy and awkward with my father, and he has never taken quite kindly to her, - yet I know they would like and value each other, if some one could but bring them together, - and it would be such a comfort to me if this could take place before I have to leave.' 'To leave - are you going away again?' 'Yes.Have you not heard? I did not complete my engagement.I am going again in September for six months.' 'I remember.But somehow I fancied - you seemed to have settled down into the old ways at the Hall.' 'So my father appears to think.But it is not likely I shall ever make it my home again; and that is partly the reason why I want my father to adopt the notion of Aimée's living with him.Ah, here are all the people coming back from their walk.However, I shall see you again: perhaps this afternoon we may get a little quiet time, for I have a great deal to consult you about.' They separated then, and Molly went upstairs very happy, very full and warm at her heart; it was so pleasant to have Roger talking to her in this way, like a friend; she had once thought that she could never look upon the great brown-bearded celebrity in the former light of almost brotherly intimacy, but now it was all coming right.There was no opportunity for renewed confidences that afternoon.Molly went a quiet decorous drive as fourth with two dowagers and one spinster; but it was very pleasant to think that she should see him again at dinner, and again to-morrow.On the Sunday evening, as they all were sitting and loitering on the lawn before dinner, Roger went on with what he had to say about the position of his sister-in-law in his father's house: the mutual bond between the mother and grandfather being the child; who was also, through jealousy, the bone of contention and the severance.There were many little details to be given in order to make Molly quite understand the difficulty of the situations on both sides; and the young man and the girl became absorbed in what they were talking about, and wandered away into the shade of the long avenue.Lady Harriet separated herself from a group and came up to Lord Hollingford, who was sauntering a little apart, and putting her arm within his with the familiarity of a favourite sister, she said, - 'Don't you think that your pattern young man, and my favourite young woman are finding out each other's good qualities?' He had not been observing as she had been.'Who do you mean?' said he.'Look along the avenue; who are those?' 'Mr Hamley and - is it not Miss Gibson? I can't quite make out.Oh! if you're letting your fancy run off in that direction, I can tell you it's quite waste of time.Roger Hamley is a man who will soon have an European reputation!' 'That's very possible, and yet it does not make any difference in my opinion.
