to Miss Dalrymple, please."

CHAPTER XII

Lady Helen swept out of the room, and Morris began to dress me.

"It's strange, her ladyship coming back," she remarked. But I was in no mood to exchange confidences with my maid. I said at once:

"I suppose Lady Helen can change her mind."

"Oh, of course, miss; but all the same it is strange. It means—yes, miss, I know what it means."

"Please, Morris, don't talk now; my head aches."

"Poor young lady!" said Morris. She gave me a significant look. "If I was you I'd be firm," she said. "It means courage, but you have plenty of spirit. We remark on it in the servants' hall. We say that it would take a great deal to knock Miss Heather's spirit out of her."

There was no use in finding fault with Morris. I remained silent.

"Those roses are superb," she said again, as she arranged my dark blue cloth dress, and got me ready for my drive in the Park with my stepmother.

I made no response, but my heart throbbed when she mentioned the roses. I wondered if Captain Carbury were coming to dinner. I forgot altogether the fact that Captain Carbury and my father, for some extraordinary reason, did not wish to meet. As I considered the possibility of the Captain's dining with us that evening, something else happened. I began to long inexpressibly for him. I earnestly hoped he would come, that he would be the person allotted to take me in to dinner, that I should sit by his side, and that I should have an opportunity of scolding him—of course, very gently—with regard to the roses. I made up my mind to tell him that he was foolishly extravagant, and to implore of him not to do such a thing again. It would be impossible for me to be too severe when I was wearing his roses, for I determined just when Morris was arranging my hat at the most becoming angle not to wear the silver thing in my hair, but a bunch of the softest roses, exactly where he would like to see them, nestling behind my ear.

Morris was very quick in getting me into my afternoon costume, and a few minutes later my stepmother and I were bowling away in the direction of 

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