"I call it nothing; I'm sure I don't know what time it is."

"You have a watch, I believe. At least you must have heard the bell."

Yes; really, George, Kent must be told not to ring so loudly; it's enough to deafen anyone." "Not loud enough to rouse you, unfortunately. Barbara, allow me,-some ham.”

"Don't be so cross, George. me awake so late last night."

be drawn as an inference.

You know baby kept

"Unfortunately your lateness this morning cannot It is the first time that that child has kept you up, but very far from the first time you have been late down."

"As far from being the first as it will be the last," answered Henrietta, with a careless audacity that amazed Barbara.

"The last time that you will keep me waiting for you," said Mr. Cradock, a flash in his cold eye.

Very well, I have begged you a hundred times not to wait for me."

"And now suppose you favour me with a cup of tea."

"You have some," said Hetty, pettishly.

"I beg your pardon, I have not."

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If you are so cross, you had better pour it out for yourself."

To this childish petulance Mr. Cradock was far above paying any attention. And Henrietta was forced to send him a cup, looking much as if she would have liked to throw some of its contents at him.

"What time are we to be at the Medlicots' ?" he

asked, rising after a silence of ten minutes.

"I don't know."

"Not know ?"

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Why should I more than you ?”

Simply because the note was addressed to you, and read by you, not me."

"Well, I forget."

"Then you must find the note and see." "I-sha'nt!"

Once more Mr. Cradock rang the bell.

"Kent, fetch your mistress' writing-case from the drawing-room."

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Happily Mr. Cradock was not thwarted by his servants as by his wife. The writing-case was brought. Now, Henrietta," in the tone of calm command which an exemplary father might use to a wilful child, "find the note, and see what is the hour."

And to Barbara's unbounded surprise and no little relief, Henrietta obeyed.

Half-past seven," she muttered.

"Then order the carriage at the quarter, and mind that you are ready. I shall not wait for you.'

'Very well, but I shall not follow you. I shall enjoy a quiet evening with Barbara a great deal better than one with those fussy purse-proud Medlicots.

Mr. Cradock was closing the door behind him. This brought him back.

"Henrietta."

"Well ?"

"I want you for a few moments in the library." "I'm in the middle of my breakfast,"

"I shall not keep you, and if you had begun in proper time you would have finished before now.'

"But, George,-hear me. Really I could not help being late. Baby was so terribly unhappy and fractious, and when she caught sight of me, would have me stay."

"My dear, I am waiting."

"But-George," she went on, honest fear, Barbara thought, reducing her to be natural-and quaint and pleasant as she used to be when in disgrace at Ford House, "you do not think I can so quietly walk into a lecture as all that! Give it me here where there's Barbara to protect me."

"Are you coming ?" he demanded, as if exasperated to the last point of endurance.

Hetty rose, casting up her eyes and clasping her hands piteously at her sister; ill-timed expression of her careless merry spirit under the very eyes of the husband whose temper she had been so wantonly aggravating.

The lecture, if lecture it were, was very short. In three minutes the door was closing behind its master, and Hetty was at her place at the table, her colour very high, her manner very light.

Barbara anxious to introduce a fresh subject, asked whether nurse thought baby still unwell.

Yes, very, she thinks, at least she says convulsions may come on. I don't see that anything ails it, it has always been a fretting wearing little thing. Still I'm going into town to see about some lace for my berthe, so I shall tell John to ask Dr. Matthews to call.Oh, by the by, Barbara, don't you think that pink dress I wore the night after you came is getting quite shabby."

Shabby! oh, no!"

"I'm tired of it. I must buy a new dinner dress, we will choose it this morning if it's not too cold.” "But, my dear Hetty, I thought a new one came home last night."

"Yes, but I don't like it,-I don't think blue suits me as it used to do, I'm sure I can't wear that even at our own party next week."

Barbara felt rather shocked, for Nurse Giles had succeeded in infecting baby's aunt with her own fears if not its more experienced mother. The death of Henrietta's first little girl, when only a few days old, made all at Ford House doubly anxious for the welfare of this second little Ida Henrietta, though her little existence might now be numbered by months.

There was a moment's silence. Then Hetty covered her face with her hands and burst into a passion of

tears.

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My dear Hetty!" cried Barbara, startled out of her wise resolution to live through this greater fracas

as she had through every lesser one, without appearing to be conscious that anything disagreeable had ever been said or done.

"Go away! what have you to do with it ?" cried Henrietta, pushing her away, and then raising her head, struggling hard with her tears, and trying to smile, "oh, Barbara, I wish you just knew for one day what it is to be a rich idle woman like I am, nothing to do all day! it's a terribly trying life."

Barbara did not know what to answer, longing as she did to say, If you want an object in life, make one of never keeping your husband waiting." "And the baby, I'm sure she is ill, and George won't-won't-"

go

She stopped, heaved a deep sigh, and then rising, said, "Barbara, if you don't mind being so unfashionable, I shall order the carriage at ten, and we will in then, and catch Dr. Matthews before he goes out.' Barbara willingly assented, and the two sisters left the breakfast-room, and traversed the softly-carpeted stairs to the nursery. Henrietta held out her arms to her babe, and little Ida stretched hers to her mother, but catching sight of Barbara, began a feeble cry, struggling to reach her aunt.

"No, no, stay with mamma! See, Ida, see!" And Henrietta tried to win it by the glitter of her chain.

Still Ida cried and struggled; she was six months old now, and till the last few days had been a fair blooming babe like Henrietta Wynne-perhaps its present paler face, and heavy lifeless features were more like Henrietta Cradock.

"There, take it, Barbara," cried Hetty, pettishly, "I'm sure I don't want the cross little thing."

"She remembers our afternoon together yesterday, I daresay," said Barbara gently, "I spent it here as you and Mr. Cradock were out, and it seemed happy in my arms."

"I don't believe there is anything the matter with her but temper," answered Henrietta shortly, but her

hungry longing eyes contradicted her words. She turned away her head, and, poor woman, felt deserted both by husband and child-by the last even more from her own fault than the other. Here all the wrong could but be on one side. Why had she let Barbara's face in one fortnight grow more welcome to her babe than that of its own mother? She stood for ten minutes at the window without seeking for an

answer.

"Well, now, Barbara, if we are to be punctual, we had better be going."

The two sisters drove into Liverpool, side by side, nearly in silence. How oppressive was Hetty's uncertain temper to her own sister! Barbara was beginning to feel very sorry for Mr. Cradock.

They drove to Dr. Matthews'. He was out, Henrietta left a message and drove on to Lord Street, spent an hour over silks pink, maize and green, another over ribands, fringes, and lace, and thus was the time beguiled till luncheon. Hetty was now in her usual spirits, as pleasant and amusing a companion as Henrietta Wynne had ever been; but Barbara sat listening to her merry run of talk abstractedly, watching her face rather than listening to her words, and pitying one whose life was an endless round of shopping, dressing, and visiting, from the bottom of her honest heart.

Suddenly Hetty declared she was tired, and resting upon the sofa, in ten minutes was veritably asleep. Barbara crept away to the nursery, unvisited since their drive. Little Ida was fretting and whining on her nurse's knee, from which Barbara could not resist taking her, and holding the little suffering thing in her own arms.

It was growing dusk before she went down again. Hetty started up at her entrance with a promptness that to her sister had something of nervous anxiety in it. Oh, you, Barbara, I thought it was George.What a time you have been away."

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