IKE A 
 
 BISTER,
 
 \
 
 LIKE A SISTER 
 
 MADELINE CRICHTON 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES 
 VOL. I 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 
 LONDON 
 DIGBY, LONG & CO., PUBLISHERS 
 
 18 BOUVERIE STREET, FLEET STREET B.C.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 1 1 
 
 II 32 
 
 III 57 
 
 IV 96 
 
 V 127 
 
 VI 166 
 
 VII 189 
 
 VIII 222 
 
 IX 253 
 
 X. . 281
 
 LIKE A SISTER 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IT was a cold blustering afternoon in early 
 autumn, so cold indeed that the inhabitants 
 of Allough were in terror lest the winter 
 should set in before their poor little crops 
 were gathered. Not that there was ever 
 much to gather in this desolate spot; for its 
 people, like most of their kindred in the 
 bleak north west of Ireland, were as impro- 
 vident as poverty-stricken. The climate, 
 the soil, and their own nature were all 
 against them quite too much to struggle 
 with ! They had wretched little mud hovels 
 scattered in picturesque confusion over the 
 boggy land which was honoured by the name 
 of The Allough Estate. Few and far between 
 were the rents collected for these said hovels
 
 2 Like a Sister. 
 
 with their patches of marshy potato ground ; 
 for the Irish rarely pay of their own free 
 will, and the landlord of Allough had been 
 for many years an absentee, during which 
 time his steward did not think it worth 
 while to risk his neck by compulsion. 
 
 Though Major Tredennick's revenue was 
 little enlarged by his suzerainship over this 
 benighted part it cost him nothing, for not 
 one penny piece had been spent on improving 
 the land in his or his father's time. Indeed 
 they had almost accepted it as a fact that 
 the land was the people's own, and that 
 their real ownership extended only over the 
 castle and the two hundred acres of park 
 land attached to it. 
 
 The Castle proper was now a grand old 
 ruin, originally of the Norman period. Little 
 but bare walls remained of that style, however, 
 and it had been so altered and enlarged in 
 various bygone generations as to boast many 
 different forms of architecture an incongruity 
 which, strange to say, only added to its 
 beauty. Built on the summit of a rugged 
 cliff there was nothing more protective than 
 a low stone wall between it and the fierce
 
 Like a Sister. 3 
 
 Atlantic, which roared and bubbled at the 
 base, two hundred feet below. The ocean 
 was slowly but surely undermining the cliff, 
 and already edging its way in pools and 
 shallows under the very foundations of the 
 castle, which hung on the spur of rock like 
 a grim sea-bird's nest. 
 
 But the owner of the castle had little 
 fear for his safety. The cliff might crumble 
 away and fall into the sea hundreds of years 
 hence, but it would last his time anyhow, 
 was his comforting thought that is if he 
 thought of it at all lately. On his father's 
 death he and his mother removed from 
 Dublin and took up their quarters in the new- 
 est portion of the building an Elizabethan 
 structure of good dimensions, detached, except 
 for servants' offices built up to the Castle 
 proper, and which was inland and protected 
 from the violence of the wind by the old 
 ruin. 
 
 Now the ruin was put to no better use 
 than to shelter the herds of cattle which 
 browsed in the park. A drove of them were 
 slowly wending their way thither, when one 
 of the young bulls stopped short before the
 
 4 Like a Sister. 
 
 long flight of old stone steps which curved up 
 the one sloping bit of the cliff to the Castle, 
 and gazed down, with a look of grave aston- 
 ishment on his bovine countenance. 
 
 There was nothing to alarm him, however. 
 Only two peasant women, toiling up the steep 
 uneven steps, their garments set in full sail 
 by the wind, which threatened to catch them 
 sideways and blow them into the sea every 
 minute. But being natives, and consequently 
 knowing every phase of the elements, there 
 was no such danger to be apprehended. In 
 winter and spring no one dared attempt this 
 dangerous short cut; now it was just safe 
 enough to risk one's neck u for the chance 
 of two good miles cut off the road," as the 
 elder woman remarked to her companion. 
 
 They were a great contrast to each other; 
 the one being old and spare, with a face 
 wrinkled and sun-dried, but still rosy, like a 
 winter apple that has been kept too long. 
 She^ wore the long peasant cloak of grey 
 homespun, much the worse for wear, a bright 
 red handkerchief tied gipsy fashion under 
 her chin ; and on the top of the kerchief was 
 poised a small basket. A gipsy she looked,
 
 Like a Sister. 5 
 
 with her keen, black restless eyes taking in 
 everything, choosing her footing warily but 
 with confidence. On her arm was another 
 basket, this one of eggs; and thus handi- 
 capped she plodded along as if there was no 
 such thing as the Atlantic roaring below and 
 the wind cutting like a knife. 
 
 Her companion was a girl about twenty; 
 her shoulders wrapped in one of those gay 
 plaid shawls the Irish peasant loves, on her 
 head an out-of-date, second-hand, Paris bon- 
 net, among whose grey silk trimmings she 
 had introduced an abundance of purple cotton 
 roses. Under this mutilated headgear peeped 
 out a rather pretty, pert little face, with a 
 knowing turn-up nose, wide mouth, and large 
 grey eyes. She was heavily laden with a 
 bundle nearly as big as herself; but her bare, 
 sunburnt feet kept up bravely, and, though 
 rather out of breath with the climb, her 
 tongue was wagging. 
 
 " Ach, mother, ahone ! it's the last time 
 we'll be goin' up the Divil's own staircase 
 togither for many a long day, I'll be think- 
 ing," she exclaimed, with an odd mixture of 
 grief and exultation in her tone.
 
 6 Like a Sister. 
 
 u Yis, Norah, alanha, more's the pity of 
 it, for the eggs and the butther is weighty 
 to drag up alone, and there won't be no 
 satisfaction in bringing them round this 
 short cut by the sea now. For as like as 
 not Madweasel and yer Aunt Bridget'll want 
 to use their own eggs, and there won't be 
 any more dresses of Miss Kathleen's make 
 up for disterebution. Lord love ye, chil' ! 
 do ye think I'd lit ye go amang them 
 hathens on the other side of the wurruld, 
 if it wasn't for the entire good of the family ? 
 An' what a lady ye'll be, to be sure, wid 
 boots an' the best Balbriggan stockings on 
 yer feet ivery blessed day, an' a Cashmere 
 dress too ! " 
 
 * But, mother, it's to be black I'm to 
 wear, her ladyship says, an' not a soul 
 dead in the parish these six months barrin* 
 old Mick Martin's dunkey ! " 
 
 "Ach! sure it's please her ye'll have to 
 do in some small ways, bein' yer mistress, 
 ancl\the young ladies too," answered Mrs. 
 Maloney condescendingly, " but they won't 
 be always at home, an' thin ye can put on 
 the rid gown wid the yallow braid, for it
 
 Like a Sister. 1 
 
 would foe a pity to let it lie by, an' niver 
 see the light o' day. Only, Norah, ye must 
 jest seem to look after their interests, and 
 all the while keep a sharp eye on yer own ; 
 it's the only way to get on. An' many's 
 the time I've dinned that same advice into 
 yer father's ear, only he was that pig-headed 
 that the Lord Moses couldn't git him to turn 
 to his through wid his eyes fixed on his 
 neighbours' cabbages. Not that I'd say 
 anything agin him now, bein' in his grave 
 these ten years, an' a good husband too, 
 though we must have starved but for Miss 
 Kathleen. But ye take after my side of 
 the house, Norah, an' a word to ye's worth 
 half a dozen." 
 
 u Well, Mother, ye won't have Miss 
 Kathleen much longer, I'm thinking ! " 
 
 " An' it's that same all Allough will be 
 in mourning for. And we won't have the 
 consolation of havin' her back agin, for Neal 
 Donolly heard from Sal Maguire that Mad- 
 weasel Tirer do say that all the young ladies 
 git married to Chinee out there, who shuts 
 them up in a hareham, whatever that may 
 be, an' niver lets them see the blissed light
 
 8 lAke a Sister. 
 
 o' day. But if ye be playing any of them 
 thricks, Norah, an' tyin' yerself to an 
 abortion that wears his beard on the back 
 of his head, the Lord forgive ye, but I 
 niver will. An' the Britannia metal teapot, 
 an' yer share in the horn-handled knives 
 an' forks '11 all go to Biddy, as sure as I'm 
 laid undher the sod." 
 
 . Norah 's remonstrance to this piece of 
 domestic cruelty was drowned by a snort 
 of rage from the bullock, whose artistic 
 feelings being hurt by the prolonged sight 
 of the red handkerchief, was waiting at the 
 top to express his opinions. 
 
 " Git out o' that, ye ill-favoured spalpeen, 
 an' let dacent folks pass ! * cried Mrs. Maloney, 
 raising a menancing basket. But he held 
 his ground gazing with fascinated eyes at 
 her headgear. 
 
 " Stan' back, mother, an' I'll settle him! " 
 exclaimed Norah. And, suiting the action 
 to j:he word, she thrust her enormous bundle 
 into "-the animal's nose; with the effect, 
 however, that he caught it on the end of 
 his juvenile horns and sent it spinning down 
 the hill. Norah narrowly escaped following,
 
 Like a Sister. 9 
 
 faster than she had ever travelled in her 
 life ; but Mrs. Maloney managed to seize 
 her, much to the detriment of the eggs, 
 which played Humpty Dumpty to their 
 hearts' content. 
 
 Norah's ear-piercing shrieks, as she saw 
 her bundle roll over and over and finally 
 drop into the sea with a great splash, had 
 the effect of making the cause of the disaster 
 turn tail. But he was not destined to get 
 off so easily. With a yell that would have 
 put a wild Indian to shame, Norah rushed 
 at him with her hands full of eggs, and 
 began pelting him over the eyes. Blinded 
 and bewildered, the poor brute made frantic 
 efforts to escape; but she seized him by the 
 horns and belaboured him with her fists, 
 calling him by every imprecation the Irish 
 language contains, until quite out of breath. 
 Then, flinging herself down on the grass, 
 she sobbed as if her heart was breaking. 
 
 u Git up, Norah, ye big gaby, sobbin' there 
 like a two-year-old, when yer clothes may 
 tum up be the nixt tide! An' it's me 
 should be keening, wid all me boutiful eggs 
 broke ; half a dozen of which was a present
 
 10 Like a Sister. 
 
 to her ladyship. In the which ye've had 
 a hand, ye ongrateful hussy, spoilin' yer 
 poor mother's livin' ; an' she a lone widder 
 wid six brats, an' all as big mouths as yer 
 own ! Git up I say ! " 
 
 Norah obeyed sullenly; and the two 
 women made the best of their way to the 
 Castle kitchen, and eased their mind by 
 relating the adventure, interspersed with 
 loud lamentations, to Bridget Maloney, who 
 was Norah's aunt. 
 
 " Ugh ! sure ye needn't fret yerself, for 
 the new mistress 'ill give ye a new outfit; 
 she couldn't do less seein' it was the 
 masther's cattle that nearly gored ye to 
 death, " said Bridget, accepting the new 
 version of the story. 
 
 " An' is she kind-hearted though ? " asked 
 her sister-in-law, with a cunning glance 
 under her eye-brows. 
 
 " Well, maybe, if ye take the right way 
 of Jjer," answered Bridget somewhat doubt- 
 fully^ " but she's English, ye know, an' 
 don't understand us any more than she can 
 tell our speech. Anyhow she's got money 
 an' thinks she's good looking, so maybe
 
 Like a Sister. 1 1 
 
 that's why the masther married her; though 
 to my thinkin' she's not a patch on his 
 first wife, who was boutiful as an angel, 
 besides bein' a lady, an' Irish born. An' 
 it's a precious short stay the masther is 
 makin' to the home of his ancesthers afther 
 twenty years in furrin parts, that he must 
 needs be off agin in three days to where 
 it's so hot that ye dhrip, dhrip all to pieces 
 like a tallow candle ! An' to take Miss 
 Kathleen that I've had all the throuble 
 o' bringing up an' loved as me own child, 
 it niver havin' pleased the Lord to give me 
 one. Not that I'd set meself up to crithicise 
 me betthers, but even the poor has feelings, 
 which ye'll allow, Sally Maloney ! " and 
 flinging her apron over her head old Bridget 
 indulged in a fit of demonstrative grief. 
 
 " To think that the old misthress, an' the 
 late misthress' death should have driven the 
 masther away to furrin parts, an' that he 
 has the hardihood to bring back another to 
 the old place after twenty years beats me 
 entirely," ruminated Sally, "an' how the old 
 misthress used to fool him into believing she 
 loved the country, to be sure ! "
 
 12 Like a Sister. 
 
 It was true that old Mrs. Tredennick had 
 no real love for the bleak coast of Allough. 
 But she felt it her duty to reside there 
 during her son's long minority. Her husband, 
 having lived beyond his means for years, 
 had left her in straightened circumstances; 
 so the only way to have anything but bare 
 lands for his heir when he came of age was 
 to give up the house in Merrion Square, and 
 live quietly on the country property. 
 
 Great as was the sacrifice for her, town born 
 and town bred, she accomplished it; and was 
 rewarded by having a few thousands laid by 
 when her boy was seventeen. But, though 
 energetic and determined, she found that a 
 woman can do little single-handed with a 
 property which has been left to itself for 
 years; and she gave up trying to get things 
 out of the old groove. 
 
 So, when her son chose the army as a 
 profession, she offered no opposition to his 
 going away ; though she still lived on at the 
 lonely* Castle trying to save money. It 
 nearly broke her heart to lose him, but she 
 struggled bravely on; denying herself luxu- 
 ries that had been mere necessities in her
 
 Like a Sister. 13 
 
 young married days ; and living without any 
 society from week's end to week's end 
 she who had reigned as queen of beauty 
 and fashion in the city of pretty women! 
 
 All went smoothly for a time. Young 
 Tredennick's love for his mother had pre- 
 vented him living beyond his allowance, and 
 he was coming home for the first time after 
 receiving his commission. His mother would 
 have gone to meet him, but he sent a mes- 
 sage to the effect that he had a surprise 
 in store for h.er, and wished her to stay at 
 the Castle to receive him. His surprise was 
 cruel as it was unexpected. He had fallen 
 in love with a beautiful young girl without 
 a penny; married her, and expected his mother 
 to make them welcome. The deception was 
 bad enough, but Mrs. Tredennick would have 
 forgiven it and even endured being super- 
 seded in the affections of the being she loved 
 best on earth if she were certain the match 
 was for her son's happiness, and icorldly 
 advancement. But that the bride had nothing 
 was a crushing blow. The poor, woman, 
 who dreaded poverty as the worst evil this 
 world contains, because she had known it
 
 14 Like a Sister. 
 
 so well and so long ; who would have saved 
 her son from contamination of the plague by 
 her own life's sacrifice, now saw him in its 
 clutches of his foolhardy free will. She had 
 expected such great things of her handsome 
 boy; but now her hopes were utterly de- 
 stroyed, and her sacrifice had been all for 
 nothing. The shock was too great, it 
 killed her. 
 
 Small wonder then that young Tredennick 
 did not care to visit his old home. When, 
 a year later, he was left a .widower with 
 an infant daughter, he volunteered for foreign 
 service and endeavoured to stifle his grief 
 in hard work under an Indian sun. The 
 poor little motherless Kathleen he left at 
 Allough under the charge of an elderly 
 French lady, who had been his own gover- 
 ness, and Bridget Maloney, his mother's old 
 housekeeper, who, with her husband Pat, 
 was installed as caretaker of the partially 
 occupied Castle. 
 
 So Kathleen grew, a lonely self-contained 
 child, with none of her own age or class to 
 keep her company. But she was by no 
 means unhappy in her solitude, for she grew
 
 Like a -Sister. 15 
 
 to know and love every stick and stone of 
 the old place, and be proud of it even as 
 it was. Her one grief in these early days 
 was lack of money, not for herself, but for 
 those around her. The tenants were poor 
 almost to starvation, and she had little to 
 bestow upon them but sympathy. But, 
 failing means, she did what kind words and 
 actions can do to help : and the poor souls 
 were quite content to love " purty Miss 
 Kathleen " for what she was, and not for 
 what she gave them. 
 
 Much of her spare time in the long even- 
 ings was taken up poring over the books in 
 the Castle library, for her grandfather had 
 boasted a really good, if now somewhat 
 antiquated collection, which old Mrs. Tre- 
 dennick had kept as precious relics of pros- 
 perous days, and perhaps found solace in 
 during the lonely winter nights that followed. 
 There Kathleen read everything, " from grave 
 to gay, from lively to severe," with the 
 omnivorous appetite of inquiring childhood. 
 " Fox's Book of Martyrs " and " Tom Jones " 
 were on those shelves, but she read as a 
 child, thought as a child and understood as
 
 16 Like a Sister. 
 
 a child, and they did her no harm. Later, 
 she went deeper and chose her authors, 
 thereby laying in a store of miscellaneous 
 knowledge, for the love of study. Hers 
 was one of those clear, brave, self-reliant 
 natures, able and willing to think for itself 
 and others, and to share their burdens too a 
 nature whose capacity for loving, self-repres- 
 sion and suffering was not known even to 
 itself. 
 
 It conveyed little to Kathleen that the 
 father whom she never remembered had 
 married again when she was a year old. 
 The only reminder of her stepmother's 
 existence was in the form of an envelope, 
 directed in a crockety feminine handwriting, 
 to the French governess, which came at 
 regular intervals. The real interest of her 
 life began when she was fourteen. A family 
 named Clifford had bought a summer resi- 
 dence at a tiny watering place some three 
 mile|> from the Castle, the nearest village 
 where Allough could do its shopping. The 
 acquaintance, which began through old Made- 
 moiselle Tirer dropping a parcel only to have 
 it restored again by young Clifford bringing
 
 Like a Sister. 17 
 
 it all the way round to Allough in his boat, 
 speedily became a close friendship; and 
 Kathleen had at last some children of her own 
 age to make companions of. After a few 
 weeks it became a regular institution for 
 the two Clifford girls to go to the Castle 
 for French lessons; and often their brother 
 brought them round by sea, whilst Kathleen 
 afterwards returned home with the party in 
 the boat. So she learned to row, and manage 
 a sail in those troublesome waters as well 
 as the tall lad of eighteen; and was soon 
 his constant companion in shooting and fish- 
 ing expeditions. 
 
 After a while the Cliffords went away to 
 their English home, and before very long 
 Ray sent Kathleen an Army List in which 
 his name appeared. When she was eighteen 
 he came once again with his family to 
 Ireland for the summer months, and the 
 young people found out that they cared for 
 each other. He went away promising to 
 write to her. But he must have forgotten 
 her altogether, Katheen argued, when no 
 letter came. Thus they lost sight of each 
 other. 
 
 VOL. I. 2
 
 18 Like a Sister. 
 
 Kathleen felt it deeply the first time her 
 friends left, and with them the glimpse of 
 the hitherto unknown outside world which 
 had so delighted her. However, there was 
 nothing to be done but to wait until next 
 summer, and in the meantime return to the 
 old life where it had been left off. It 
 seemed to have a quiet dulness she had 
 never felt before; but she was young, and 
 active and buoyant so this wore off in time. 
 The second time Ray Clifford came and 
 went away it was different; she was much 
 older then. But, when he left, no one 
 could tell much difference in her outside 
 life: it went on just as usual, only that 
 now all her time was given for others. 
 She was not the sort of girl to bemoan 
 her trouble and become generally useless; 
 not a soul could tell her story, though she 
 had changed in thought from a child to a 
 woman. 
 
 When she was a tall, willowy girl of 
 twenty her father returned from foreign 
 service ; and brought his wife and daughter 
 Amy, who was two years Kathleen's 
 junior, to spend a few days at the Castle
 
 Like a Sister. 19 
 
 before going abroad again. This time 
 Kathleen was to accompany them, and the 
 poor old Castle was to be her home no more. 
 
 The room into which the two country- 
 women were presently ushered was long 
 and low-ceiled, with high, dark, oak panel- 
 ling which gave it a sombre and gloomy 
 look. Opposite the massive door was a 
 tall, narrow window commanding a splen- 
 did view of the sea, whose huge breakers 
 were dashing and foaming against the 
 cliff. At right angles to it was another 
 window, of larger and more modern propor- 
 tions, which looked out on the straggly fuch- 
 sia bushes adorning the front lawn. The 
 floor was strewn with odds and ends of 
 value, such as old porcelain and antique 
 furniture ; and several trunks were gaping 
 open-mouthed to be filled. The waUs were 
 lined with book-cases, before one of which 
 a tall, girlish figure was standing, absorbed 
 in contemplation of the vellum-bound volumes. 
 
 " Kathleen ! " cried a shrill voice from one 
 of the dark corners of the room, " do leave 
 those musty old books alone, and come and 
 help Mademoiselle to fold up this brocade."
 
 20 Like a Sister. 
 
 The young girl turned with a start of 
 surprise ; she was not accustomed to be spoken 
 to in this tone of petulant, fault-finding 
 command. But she put aside a volume she 
 held in her hand, and came forward readily. 
 The light from the window in passing shone 
 upon a small oval face of great loveliness, a 
 face which would have seemed cold and 
 haughty with its perfect, clear-cut features, 
 but for a pair of great, luminous, speaking 
 eyes of that rare violet colour which is black 
 in shadow. Her hair, which was coiled in 
 a heavy knot at the back of her shapely 
 head, was black, with bluish lights in it like 
 a raven's wing; whilst her complexion was 
 dazzlingly white but for a rose flush on 
 either cheek. Altogether there was a tho- 
 rough-bred beauty about the girl, that set off 
 her home-made merino dress more than most 
 women's silks and satins could theirs. 
 
 " Yes, Mrs. Tredennick, " she answered 
 sweetly, " I am sorry to have kept you wait- 
 ing; but I did not think you wanted me 
 just now." 
 
 " Mrs. Tredennick indeed ! No, child, I won't 
 have it. So the sooner you get out of the
 
 Like a Sister. 21 
 
 habit the better. Call me mamma. For, 
 though I'm only your stepmother, there's no 
 reason but your own stand offishness why 
 you and Amy should not be like real sisters 
 now that you must- come and live with us. 
 Don't forget." 
 
 This was given out in sharp staccato tones, 
 which made Kathleen feel as if she was 
 being rubbed on a nutmeg grater. Call the 
 speaker by the sacred name of mother never! 
 But the feeling gave way before the pres- 
 sure of a soft hand on her arm ; and a pair 
 of blue eyes looked up appealingly in hers, 
 as a sweet little voice cried gaily, 
 
 "And we shall be sisters if I have any 
 say in the matter, Kitty dear. Sisters 
 always, what ever happens. Come! is it a 
 bargain ? " 
 
 Kathleen's lonely heart went out to the 
 gentle child who had called her by such a 
 sweet new name. But she said little, as 
 was her wont when deeply moved. Only 
 as she kissed Amy's forehead gravely and 
 tenderly that night, as the younger girl lay 
 fast asleep, did she register an inward vow 
 that, come what may, she would stand by,
 
 22 Like a Sister. 
 
 love and defend her as long as they both 
 should live. 
 
 u Come, Amy! I wonder at you making pro- 
 testations of affection when you and Kathleen 
 only met for the first time yesterday. It's 
 a thing won't last unless there is a solid 
 foundation which can't be built in a day, 
 I tell you, " remarked her mother pleasantly. 
 
 Mrs. Tredennick was one of those persons 
 who have a most uncomfortable trick of 
 rubbing people the wrong way. It was more 
 want of tact, and a 1 desire to impress her own 
 opinions in season and out than real want 
 of heart; though she would not scruple to 
 tread upon the feelings of anyone who crossed 
 her. Whatever topic of conversation was 
 started she must have her say, and force 
 her views down other people's throats, for 
 their lasting benefit as she firmly believed. 
 Her opinions in small things being of the 
 weathercock order, that veered round as 
 sojm as some new idea struck her fancy, the 
 contradictions of herself in these little matters 
 were ludicrous in the extreme, through her 
 utmost sincerity for the time being. In every 
 way she was a woman thoroughly selfish,
 
 Like a Sister. 23 
 
 who looked after her own special interests 
 first, and those of her family as well as she 
 could afterwards. She was vastly proud 
 of her husband, to whom she had actually 
 proposed, having fallen in love with his 
 handsome person when he was a young 
 widower, too heart-broken by his trouble to 
 take much interest in anything. And he, 
 thinking in his honourable way to what 
 straights a woman must be put to confess 
 her feelings, had married her in pity. The 
 tea-planter's daughter would not have been 
 a bad match (in a pecuniary sense), for the 
 poor young officer, if her father had not 
 failed a few years later and left her with 
 only her slender marriage portion. As it 
 was she kept the money strictly to herself, 
 using the interest chiefly to buy girlish gowns 
 which were far from suitable to her matronly 
 figure and florid complexion. 
 
 It was Mrs. Tredennick's boast that no one 
 could call her * Chee-chee " ; and certainly 
 flaxen hair is a wonderful preventative to being 
 thought " India diluted " even if one has lived 
 in that country all one's life, and talks disjoint- 
 edly. For those who like the overblown type
 
 24 Like a Sister. 
 
 of beauty she might still have charms, though 
 her shrill voice and loud manner made one 
 wonder what she had originally sprung from. 
 
 Amy was in appearance, a smaller, finer 
 edition of her mother whose large blue 
 eyes and brilliant complexion she had in- 
 herited. But her hair, which was short 
 and curly, was real golden; and her small 
 hands and feet came from the Tredennicks. 
 Her character seemed sweet as her mother's 
 was acid, and altogether she was a winning 
 little fairy, with such soft, childish, wheed- 
 ling manners that no one could take her 
 for a travelled young lady who had passed 
 her eighteenth birthday. 
 
 The only other occupant of the room was 
 Mademoiselle Tirer. Her straight, upright 
 French figure was cased in a skin fitting brown 
 silk which threatened to burst every time it 
 bent over the trunk she was busily packing. 
 Every now and then a great tear would fall 
 oivthe flimsy fabrics, and be surreptitiously 
 brushed away by a small brown hand. 
 
 " Dear Mademoiselle, what can I do to help 
 you ? " asked Kathleen coming up. 
 
 " Nothing, ma cherie, nothing. Two cannot
 
 Like a Sister. 25 
 
 pack the same box, and these are my orders ! * 
 stretching an indignant hand over a pile of 
 silks. " But stay near me now, and let me 
 look at you; for my poor old eyes cannot 
 have that pleasure long." 
 
 u Oh ! Mademoiselle, how I wish you were 
 coming with us to Hong-Kong. I have 
 begged and prayed father to take you, but 
 he says he cannot offord it." 
 
 "Do you think he would want me now, 
 when he has forgotten us these twenty 
 years ? And you his own child too ! " flash- 
 ing on Kathleen a pair of bright black eyes 
 that belied her former speech, while her dark 
 puckered face moved convulsively. " No, no, 
 no ! I would be no use at all there. Madame 
 has the entire management; and I am too 
 old and weak for a hired servant. She told 
 me so when I offered to pay my passage, 
 in order to be with you, Kathleen. But I 
 may stay here during your absence in consid- 
 eration of my past services. Services 
 indeed ! Why I would have given my heart's 
 blood for you or your father; and your 
 grandmother was always my best friend 
 until the day I closed her eyes."
 
 26 Like a Sister. 
 
 * Then you will be here when I come 
 home again in three years; and indeed we 
 shall think of each other every day in the 
 meantime," replied Kathleen fervently. 
 
 u Yes, dear, I know it. The Tredennicks 
 are lovable though they all forget their 
 friends it is their nature they cannot help 
 it but you are not like that. Your grand- 
 mother was very different, and you take 
 after her." 
 
 " You express yourself strongly. Even an 
 old superannuated servant can go too far," 
 put in Mrs. Tredennick angrily. 
 
 " No, madame ! I say what I mean and 
 no more. Is it likely I should care to lose 
 Kathleen now, when I have never parted 
 with her since she was a little baby? No. 
 I am selfish and outspoken, that is all. Not 
 impertinent. But is it likely I can forget 
 that you require me to pack up all the old 
 brocades, which belonged to her great- 
 grandmother, so that you can store them in 
 England ? Bah ! Do you take me for a common 
 thief in my old age? I, who used to air 
 every one of them with my own hands 
 before the fire, twice a week for the last
 
 Like a Sister. 27 
 
 twenty years ! No, I do not forget that 
 either ! * 
 
 What would have ensued is impossible to 
 say, for Mrs. Tredennick was preparing a 
 particularly stinging speech on the duty of 
 the employee ; when the door opened. Mrs. 
 Maloney and Norah entered, having been 
 hastily announced as " Yer-new-girl-here-and- 
 her-mother, ma'am." 
 
 Poor Mrs. Tredennick looked up helplessly. 
 It was hard enough, she thought, to have 
 a stepdaughter, her acquaintance with whom 
 was only two days old ; but that a still later 
 claim must be asserted was bewildering. 
 
 " What do these outlandish creatures mean, 
 Kathleen ? " she asked, with a glance at 
 the couple who were grinning from ear to 
 ear, and bobbing curtsies in quick succession 
 as if they were wound up. 
 
 " It is only your new maid, " she replied, 
 " Norah Maloney, you know, who is to come 
 to Hong-Kong with us; and her mother." 
 
 " The servant ; oh ! " exclaimed Mrs. 
 Tredennick relieved; recognizing Norah, 
 " why did you not say so, young woman ? 
 And do you know that you are beginning
 
 28 Like a Sister. 
 
 service with an act of sheer, flagrant dis- 
 obedience? It 
 
 " But please, ma'am 
 
 "No please ma'ams with me! Did I 
 not tell you to get your outfit with the 
 money I gave you, and not to let me see 
 your face again until we arrived at the 
 station to-morrow morning? " putting up her 
 glasses, and glaring at the offender. 
 
 "An' it's about them same clothes I've 
 come, please your ladyship, " replied Norah 
 glibly and unabashed, "sure an' it's at the 
 bottom of the say they are, if they haven't 
 rached furrin parts, an' be waitin' on the 
 shore for me. Augh, lawk-a-day! to think 
 of them bein' drownded ; an' the salt wather 
 'ill make all the colours run ! Two lovely 
 maginta an' purple dresses wid the sthripes 
 all across the skirt like crinoline hoops, an' 
 a blue hat an' feather to wear wid that. 
 Augh, augh, augh ! " beginning to whimper 
 unde^r the very eyes of the basilisk, as 
 Noraffs thoughts already termed her new- 
 mistress. 
 
 It took Kathleen some minutes to under- 
 stand, and then explain the situation; for
 
 Like a Sister. 29 
 
 her step-mother had taken no one into her 
 confidence as to the orders she had given 
 since arriving at Allough. Mrs. Tredennick's 
 face was a picture, and her indignation knew 
 no bounds when she learnt that her .7 
 had gone to clothe the mermaids. 
 
 " You shall have no more money," she 
 declared. " And, if it were not that I promised 
 Major Tredennick to take you, you might 
 stay on your mud heap all your life." Then 
 after an impressive pause. " Where in 
 the name of goodness, did you get that 
 bonnet?" 
 
 u It's an illigant French shape that Miss 
 Clifford gave me last year an'- 
 
 " French! did you say? How dare you, 
 girl?" cried Mademoiselle Tirer, holding up 
 her hands in horror. 
 
 " An' thrimmed by Norah herself, Mad wea- 
 sel; an' if ye'd allowed her to finish she'd 
 a told ye that same. Ugh! but she's an 
 illigant hand at the millinery," volunteered 
 Mrs. Maloney, who had been silently taking 
 stock of the new arrivals. 
 
 "Well, go, both of you!" said Mrs. Tre- 
 dennick sharply. " No, wait a moment ! " as
 
 30 Like a Sister. 
 
 they turned. " Miss Kathleen will give you, 
 Norah, an old dress, which must be altered 
 to fit you. But, if ever you appear in that 
 rig as long as you are in my service, I'll 
 send you home, if it is ten thousand miles 
 away. Remember ! " in a tone as if being 
 sent home was the heaviest punishment 
 possible to inflict in this world. 
 
 "An' if iver there's an auld gown of 
 yer ladyship's own, ma'am, it's me 'ud be 
 thankful for that same; an' pray for yer 
 buotiful self an' yer sweet sister as long as 
 the Lord spares me to me five poor childer, 
 as is all too young to earn a mouthful." 
 
 " I'll see about the dress, for I am sure 
 you are a deserving woman," responded 
 Mrs. Tredennick, beaming all over at this 
 delicate allusion to her youth and beauty. 
 
 As for Sally Maloney, she went home to 
 her poor little hovel well pleased with the 
 inspection. 
 
 ^Norah ! " she said " I've something to 
 tell y&. A vain misthress is a mine of 
 gold in the hand of her servant; an', mind 
 ye, we'll be dhriving our carnage yit if 
 ye'll only take that to heart. Then yer
 
 Like a Sister. 31 
 
 Aunt Bridget, that's so high an' mighty now 
 because she's got a good roof over her head, 
 an' is always talking of gratitude an' duty 
 to yer masther, may stick to him ; for divil 
 a penny piece will she git out of us. An', 
 mind ye, Norah, I'll expect half of yer wages, 
 an' all ye git besides sent home to me by 
 the first ship. For it's all for the good of 
 the family, ye know." 
 
 Meanwhile Mrs. Tredennick was giving 
 her opinions on the Irish peasant, a creature 
 she had not known, even in imagination, 
 three days ago. That they were utter bar- 
 barians and infinitely more heathen than 
 the Hindoos she had not a doubt for no 
 civilized being would have put her to sleep 
 on a feather bed! But the poor things had 
 never had the chance to be otherwise; and, if 
 some wise, firm person would take them in 
 hand, they might in time become respectable 
 members of society. And Mrs. Tredennick 
 sighed deeply, as she thought of herself as 
 this public benefactor. For she felt her 
 work cut out the raw material being not 
 so much Norah as her own stately step- 
 daughter !
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE morning dawned clear and bright and 
 rosy, like a child, who, tired with being 
 cross, changes his tears and temper for sunny 
 smiles. Kathleen, always an early riser, was 
 up betimes-; having slipped out so quietly 
 that Mademoiselle, who was lying awake in 
 the next room, musing over her own lonely 
 future, did not hear her. 
 
 Yes, the last day of her old life had really 
 come, and she was now out of doors bidding 
 farewell to all the familiar scenes she had 
 known from babyhood. The Castle stood 
 out grim and bold against the sky as on 
 the first day she had seen the light, and 
 the stunted trees on the upper ground were 
 like shivering ghosts that could never rest.
 
 Like a Sister. 33 
 
 The low-lying park inland was as verdant 
 as ever; herds of cattle wandered leisurely 
 to and fro in quest of their morning meal, 
 or stretched their lazy forms under the great 
 oaks which flourished in this more sheltered 
 spot. Kathleen was lost in contemplation of 
 the scene, when a cold nose touching her 
 hand brought her back with a start. 
 
 It was only Jemmy, her old bay cob, 
 coming for his morning treat of lump sugar. 
 But a little thing causes the heart to over- 
 flow when it is full; and at the sight of the 
 faithful friend that had carried her for four- 
 teen years the girl put her arms round his 
 neck, and, hiding her face in his shaggy 
 mane, gave way to her pent-up feelings. 
 
 This was a new phase of human character 
 to Jemmy, and his great solemn eyes had a 
 puzzled look in them when his usually self- 
 contained mistress presently roused herself. 
 But the sugar produced from her pocket had 
 the effect of restoring his equilibrium, and 
 he followed gravely as she went to perform 
 her last labour of love, feeding the chickens. 
 The way Jemmy picked his steps amongst 
 those month old " Harvest Birds " was most
 
 34 Like a Sister. 
 
 praiseworthy, for the habit they had of run- 
 ning in and out between his hoofs showed 
 that fear of sudden death was not one of 
 their weaknesses. 
 
 Kathleen was going indoors again with 
 her head bent down in thought, and feeling 
 very sad and lonely when whom should she 
 come full tilt against turning a corner but 
 Mrs. Tredennick. 
 
 " Will you look where you're going ! " 
 cried that lady sharply when she had some- 
 what recovered her breath. Then recog- 
 nizing her stepdaughter whom she felt was 
 always coming across her when least wanted, 
 she exclaimed : " What are you doing out 
 here, Kathleen?" 
 
 " Doing out here?" repeated the girl, too 
 much amazed at her free movements being 
 questioned for the first time in her life, to 
 answer the question. 
 
 " That is what I said. Did you not get 
 HJV message that you and Amy were to have 
 your breakfast in bed this morning, so as 
 not to be tired for the journey?" 
 
 "I received no message. But I get up 
 early every 7 morning, and it never makes
 
 Like a Sister. 35 
 
 me feel tired," replied Kathleen calmly, 
 though with rising anger. 
 
 " Then that old stupid Bridget cannot have 
 understood me. I remember she did look 
 mystified. The people here are so tiresome ; 
 and I shall not be sorry to turn my back 
 for ever on this benighted hole. But, Kath- 
 leen, " eying her narrowly, " I know early 
 rising does not agree with you, whatever 
 you may say to the contrary. Why, your 
 eyes are as red as beetroot, and your face 
 lias no more colour in it than a china egg ! " 
 
 The glow which these unfeeling words 
 called forth on the girl's cheeks, and the 
 quiet dignified tone in which she remarked, 
 " I am going in now, " convinced Mrs. Tre- 
 dennick that she had gone too far. 
 
 " No, do stay, Kathleen 1 " she called out 
 in as friendly a voice as she could muster, 
 " I am having a look round before we leave 
 to see that everything is as it should be; 
 and, as I do not quite know my way about, 
 will you come and show me over the place ? 
 That's why I got up early so as to have 
 no nasty prying people about. But you are 
 a godsend, my dear."
 
 36 Like a Sister. 
 
 Thus desired there was nothing for Kath- 
 leen to do but to act as guide, and listen to 
 her dear old home being taken to pieces by 
 the pitiless tongue of a woman, who could 
 see no beauty in anything unless it repre- 
 sented so much market value. 
 
 When at last Mrs. Tredennick had viewed 
 about the place to her heart's content, and 
 declared that everything was wofully mis- 
 managed, she thought it time to go into 
 breakfast. 
 
 Major Tredennick was glancing over some 
 rent accounts when they entered; but he 
 rose up hastily, and, passing his wife with 
 a smile, took his daughter's delicate little 
 face between his two hands and kissed her 
 tenderly on the forehead. 
 
 "Good-morning, father dear," said Kath- 
 leen with a loving, grateful look, for she 
 felt there was one person at least among 
 her newly-found relations who could under- 
 stand her feelings ; and a blush such caresses 
 not being part of her every day life. " We 
 have been out, so you see we have earned 
 our breakfast," she added brightly, though 
 she felt in little humour for it.
 
 Like a Sister. 37 
 
 " There is nothing here fit to eat ! " ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Tredennick who had been taking 
 stock of the table. " Ham and eggs, and the 
 toast as cold as gravestones ! Is this how you 
 are accustomed to pig it, Kathleen ? " 
 
 " Our meals are always well served. But 
 Mademoiselle and I have naturally done no- 
 thing since you relieved us of all domestic 
 management, and perhaps Bridget did not 
 understand your directions, " she replied, not 
 caring to add that that worthy woman's 
 idea of a breakfast dish, when thrown on 
 her own responsibility, never got beyond the 
 homely ham and eggs. 
 
 " You have not told me where you have 
 been this morning," said Major Tredennick, 
 with a rather nervous attempt to turn the 
 conversation. 
 
 " All over this wretched old place that is 
 not fit for a rat to live in! I think the 
 sooner you sell the ruin for building stone 
 the better. Then someone may be induced 
 to rent the new part of the Castle. Indeed, 
 I recommend you to dispose of all this oak 
 furniture in England, where it commands a 
 good price, I hear. The place would be as
 
 38 Like a Sister. 
 
 well without it, and the money better in 
 our pockets; besides, then these wretched 
 creatures would have no temptation to make 
 away with it. And only think of the dresses 
 I could have for this old lumber, Richard ! " 
 
 * Indeed everything is exactly as I remem- 
 ber it twenty years ago," interrupted Major 
 Tredennick, * the Maloneys are thoroughly 
 trustworthy. They would not touch a far- 
 thing that did not belong to them." 
 
 " You always will have your own way, 
 no matter how I try to advise. But there 
 is Kathleen's cob, which is not worth its 
 keep. She tells me it never even drew a 
 cart. What do you intend to do with it? " 
 
 "Oh! Father" began Kathleen. 
 
 u Yes, yes, my dear. Everything is to be 
 left exactly as it stands," was the decided 
 answer. u We are poor ; but not quite paupers 
 yet. And now, Lucy, I am getting tired of 
 the subject, so we will drop it by mutual 
 Consent. Let us have breakfast, for the 
 carriage will be round in half an hour. I 
 suppose everything is ready?" 
 
 * Yes. The boxes have all gone off by 
 cart. Now I must go and tell Amy to come
 
 Like a Sister. 39 
 
 down to breakfast ; for there does not seem 
 to be a servant here who will do what she 
 is told," said Mrs. Tredennick as she flounced 
 out of the room, evidently considering 
 that, in this instance, discretion was the 
 best part of valour. 
 
 Kathleen looked up at her father gratefully. 
 But he turned away with a sigh. The 
 domestic jars he so dreaded now seemed to 
 have obscured the bright horizon of his 
 daughter's presence. For all that, Major 
 Tredennick was the only person who could 
 manage his wife, that is, when he took the 
 trouble. Naturally indolent, he would endure 
 a great deal from her merciless tongue, 
 before setting down his foot and telling her, 
 in a quiet word or two, that he had had 
 enough. Like a great many other easy- 
 going, unobtrusive men he had a will of his 
 own when roused; and, on the few occasions 
 he asserted himself in the family circle, 
 would have it carried out regardless of conse- 
 quences. Mrs. Tredennick knew this, and 
 rarely brought herself into direct opposition 
 to her husband; but many were the devices 
 she employed to interfere with and thwart
 
 40 Like a Sister. 
 
 him without going too far. This was through 
 sheer love of contradiction, and to pay back 
 a lifelong grudge. She had loved him in 
 her own way ; and was still immensely proud 
 of him. But she could never forget that 
 the heart he had locked up at his first wife's 
 death had never been opened to her. Indeed 
 he was a changed man from that hour, and 
 those who had known gay, dashing Dick 
 Tredennick in former days said that the 
 best part of him died then. Now he was 
 a tall spare man between forty and fifty, 
 with that slight bend of the neck so often 
 observed in thoughtful people. His hair was 
 almost white, and a pair of beautiful, dark 
 blue eyes were the only spot of colour in 
 a face whose straight, clear-cut profile and 
 sensitive mouth would have given the title 
 distingue to any man. His tastes, however, 
 were very simple. Nothing gave him greater 
 pleasure when the day's duty was over than 
 t^ spend his time among his flowers, for he 
 was an enthusiastic amateur gardener. So 
 Kathleen felt she would have something in 
 common with at least one member of the 
 family she was to spend her life amongst.
 
 Like a Sister. 41 
 
 Time flies; and the carriage was waiting 
 at the door long before Amy was ready. 
 When at last she came downstairs her father 
 hurried the party into the vehicle, for he had 
 a great objection to lengthy leave taking. 
 
 u Good-bye, sorr! Me duty to ye, ma'am; 
 an' you, purty miss. Lord bliss an' protict 
 ye, Miss Kathleen, me dear, an' bring ye safe 
 home to us all agin," were the last words 
 that greeted his ears, as he shut the carriage 
 door himself, after shaking hands all round. 
 
 Kathleen and her father sat with their 
 backs to the horses, hired for the occasion, 
 so that they might have a glimpse of the 
 Castle as long as it remained in sight. The 
 last person they saw about the place was old 
 Mademoiselle Tirer ; who, with her head and 
 shoulders hanging out of one of the turret 
 windows, was waving a cobwebby bit of 
 cambric, whilst her poor trembling lips were 
 framing an inward prayer, " good Lord ! 
 help me to bear it ; for the sweetness is gone 
 out of my life." 
 
 The carriage passed the empty, dismantled 
 lodge, going through a quaint old iron en- 
 trance gate which always stood open now,
 
 42 Like a Sister. 
 
 because there was no one to shut it. Major 
 Tredennick heaved a sigh of relief. It is 
 well to be clear of either place or person 
 whose presence only recalls memories one 
 has outlived through absence from it. Then, 
 thinking how differently his daughter must 
 feel in the matter, he took her slender hand 
 in his, and stroked it gently, as though to 
 assure her of his love and sympathy. 
 
 The action did not escape his wife, who 
 always resented any show of tenderness dis- 
 played to others than herself. But she could 
 hardly express indignation at her husband's 
 kindness to his own child; so decided that 
 the only way to punish them both thoroughly 
 was to try and sow discord between them. 
 With this worthy end in view, she shook 
 out her youthful-looking dress; then put up 
 her lorgnette and stared hard at the couple 
 opposite, with a stony, disapproving stare. 
 Finding they were quite unmoved by these 
 signs of her displeasure, she could contain 
 herself no longer and began, 
 
 " Indeed, Kathleen, you are the most extra- 
 ordinary young person I have ever met in 
 my life ! "
 
 Like a Sister. 43 
 
 "How so?" demanded her stepdaughter, 
 with a most aggravating expression of uncon- 
 scious coolness. 
 
 * No wonder you ask ! Because you have 
 been brought up in that low place all your 
 life and cannot be expected to know that 
 you are so odd," retorted Mrs. Tredennick. 
 u But that you should still hanker after it 
 is beyond my comprehension! Your father 
 left you for long enough without a thought, 
 I must say; but, when he is now giving 
 you a chance to take your place among 
 civilized beings, instead of feeling glad and 
 thankful for such opportunities, you would 
 turn your back on them and go straight to 
 vulgarity again if you could." 
 
 Kathleen's eyes flashed fire, and a scene 
 seemed imminent. Then all at once the 
 contemptible absurdity of the remarks struck 
 her, and was too much for her powers of 
 gravity. Throwing back her head involun- 
 tarily she laughed long and merrily. 
 
 " Mrs. Tredennick ! " she exclaimed on 
 somewhat recovering herself, " it is no good 
 losing one's temper with you. It is not 
 worth while ! And you are really so amusing.
 
 44 Like a Sister. 
 
 Oddity and vulgarity! I feel as if I could 
 laugh for ever." 
 
 This was the fire to the flint with a 
 vengeance. 
 
 " Richard ! " screamed Mrs. Tredennick, 
 "do you sit there and allow me to be 
 insulted by that that 
 
 "You have brought it on yourself, and I 
 shall not interfere this time. Only if I hear 
 any more of this infernal bickering and 
 annoyance from you to my poor dead wife's 
 child whom I have neglected so long, I 
 shall never see your face again. I have 
 stood a good deal from you for peace sake; 
 but I draw the line here. Either you treat 
 Kathleen as a daughter of the house should 
 be treated, or she and I will find a peace- 
 able home of our own." 
 
 Mrs. Tredennick was absolutely too aston- 
 ished to speak, she seemed perfectly stunned. 
 Never before in their married life had 
 hej; husband spoken so plainly. His first 
 wife had hitherto been unnamed between 
 them by mutual consent. She had thought 
 his heart was buried long ago, and resented 
 the loss to her with all the acrimony in
 
 Like a Sister. 45 
 
 her nature. But that Kathleen should, in 
 a measure, fill up the mother's place had 
 never occurred to the woman who was 
 unable to inspire love. It was preposterous 
 and unheard of; nevertheless she was cowed 
 by the revelation. 
 
 " Father ! " said Kathleen earnestly, " I 
 am sorry, more than sorry, to be the cause 
 of this unpleasantness. If you allow me, I 
 shall willingly go back to the place you 
 left me in nearly twenty years. It is not 
 too late now and they care for me. I 
 was of use there in my dear old home. 
 Here I am always de tropf 
 
 "I love you too, and shall never part 
 with you now that I have got you, unless 
 some young 
 
 " That ' unless ' will never happen, " an- 
 swered Kathleen gravely. 
 
 " And you know, Kitty, that 1 don't intend 
 to do without you," interrupted Amy. 
 
 * Then if Mrs. Tredennick will forgive me 
 for seeming rude this time, I shall try and 
 control my risible faculties in future," said 
 Kathleen sweetly. 
 
 " Oh ! pray don't apologize. I shall try
 
 46 Like a Sister. 
 
 to do my duty by you as long as you remain 
 single. Only don't imagine me to feel the 
 same to you as I do to my own daughter. 
 Even your father could not expect that ! " 
 
 " I cannot expect it either, " replied Kath- 
 leen wearily, for the tone of the conversa- 
 tion was very trying to her. How different 
 it had been three days ago, when her life, 
 if a trifle dull and monotonous, was full of 
 peace and harmony. But there was no turn- 
 ing back now: her father wanted her, and 
 the thought that she might be some comfort 
 to him made her feel happier and more 
 cheerful than she had been for many days. 
 
 For a few minutes after this domestic jar 
 a rather uncomfortable pause ensued. Each 
 member of the quartette was more or less 
 constrained, and felt that any topic of con- 
 versation just then would be decidedly mal- 
 apropos. Major Tredennick and the two girls 
 seemed quite absorbed in the wild rugged 
 scefcery they were passing through; and 
 looked thoroughly interested in watching a 
 couple of ragged, barefoot, little urchins who 
 were standing in the doorway of a wretched 
 hovel winding a daisy-chain round the neck
 
 Like a Sister. 47 
 
 of a large black sow, whilst their brothers 
 were pelting that much enduring animal 
 with the wet clods of turf they had just 
 brought home in a creel. Mrs. Tredennick 
 on the contrary, did not let her vision wan- 
 der further than the carriage fittings, which 
 she was surveying with a dissatisfied air. 
 She was the first to break the silence. 
 
 u No wonder I have had a headache all the 
 morning ! " she began plaintively. " To have 
 to sit in this dirty, musty, old conveyance 
 for an hour is enough to make one really 
 ill. Whatever possessed you to hire such a 
 thing, Richard? Why it must be a hundred 
 years old, and dropping to pieces ! " 
 
 u I did not hire it, my dear, for the sim- 
 ple reason that nothing of the kind could be 
 got for miles round either for love or money. 
 Even the horses are farm hacks. But, as 
 you told me yesterday that I must get you 
 a carriage to drive to the station in, for you 
 would never risk your life again on a jaunt- 
 ing car, I had to do with this old one of 
 my mother's, which has not been out of 
 the house for the last ten years, Maloney 
 says. But it's not at all likely to break
 
 48 Like a Sister. 
 
 down with us now, as we have gone so far. 
 So don't be uneasy," reassuringly. 
 
 u what fun if we had a spill ! " cried 
 Amy, who was getting very tired of the 
 drive and the restraint. 
 
 "You wicked, ungrateful girl! I believe 
 you have all a design upon my life since I 
 came to this outlandish place. Oh! oh! 
 what's that? " screamed Mrs. Tredennick. 
 For, as if in answer to her daughter's wish, 
 the coach, with a preliminary lurch, heeled 
 over, and the inmates were jostled together 
 in uncomfortable confusion. 
 
 u It's all right, yer honour ! " cried the 
 cheery voice of the driver, who had jumped 
 off and was now opening the door. u Only a 
 wheel spinnin' down theiminence; an' divil 
 a bit else the worse ! Though if I hadn't a 
 been dhriving slowly up the hill the Lord 
 knows we'd all a been in the middle o' 
 nixt week by now." 
 
 fortunately nobody was hurt. But the 
 jewelled pins of Mrs. Tredennick's hat had 
 got entangled in the strap of rugs, from 
 which they were extricated with great diffi- 
 culty. When she at last reached terra firma
 
 Like a Sister. 49 
 
 her temper had by no means improved. But, 
 what with the fright and the shaking, the 
 poor woman felt rather upset; so she sat 
 down upon a mile-stone by the roadside, and 
 sobbed hysterically. 
 
 " 0, Kitty, do look ! " whispered Amy 
 pointing to her mother. u No, no, come away ; 
 or you'll get into the bad books again," 
 for Kathleen, after one glance in the direction 
 indicated, threatened to go into convulsions 
 of laughter; and indeed the sight she saw 
 would have made a cow grin. 
 
 There sat Mrs. Tredennick, by the road- 
 side, hugging a long-handled red parasol, 
 and looking utterly ridiculous and comical 
 in her abject misery. Her large Paris hat, 
 the feathers of which had got loose and 
 were nodding in the breeze, was perched at 
 the extreme back of her head; whilst the 
 tears were coursing down her cheeks in 
 rivulets, making deep furrows in the thick 
 coating of pink powder that covered her 
 face. But when she took out her hand- 
 kerchief and wiped her hot cheeks the effect 
 was more ludicrous still; for the make-up 
 of her eyes mingled with the tears and 
 
 VOL. I. 4
 
 50 Like a Sister. 
 
 powder gave it a variegated, mottled appear- 
 ance a fancy-dress rouge et noire. 
 
 Major Tredennick bore the sight with 
 admirable composure ; such exhibitions were 
 evidently not new to him. With not a smile 
 on his lips he went up to his wife; and, 
 taking out of his pocket one of those huge, 
 table-cloth-like handkerchiefs that men delight 
 in, said kindly but firmly, 
 
 " You have got a little smut on your face, 
 my dear. Just let me take it off for you. " 
 
 A faint idea of the real state of her appear- 
 ance must have struck Mrs. Tredennick, for 
 she submitted to her husband's vigorous 
 rubbing until he had restored her face to 
 something like its natural colour. Then he 
 adjusted her headgear, and assisted her to 
 rise, saying as he did so, "Now we are 
 ready to go on; and it is quite time we 
 started. Come, girls ! " 
 
 "But how, Richard?" exclaimed Mrs. 
 Tredennick, seeing that the horses had been 
 taken out of the damaged carriage. " Surely 
 you cannot intend us to walk ! " 
 
 " There is no other mode of locomotion 
 I can see, unless you are inclined to mount
 
 Like a Sister. 51 
 
 one of the horses bare-back. One might 
 spend a day on this lonely country road 
 without meeting even a donkey-cart. But 
 I see by this stone that it is just two miles 
 to the station. So the walk will not tire 
 any of us." 
 
 " What about the time though ? " asked 
 Amy. " You know it was late when we 
 started, father." 
 
 " Yes, my dear, thanks to your little habit 
 of always being last. But we have plenty 
 of time to-day, for I find that the clocks at 
 the Castle were fast." He did not add that 
 it was he himself who had put them on 
 three quarters of an hour a cunning device 
 adopted to keep his family up to time. 
 
 " I, for one, am very glad to walk, " 
 declared Mrs. Tredennick, as she leant 
 heavily on her husband's arm going up the 
 hill. " For, as if the musty smell and nearly 
 having one's neck broken through that 
 abominable old conveyance were not bad 
 enough, one's face must get covered with 
 smuts from the dirty cushions as well. I 
 always heard the Irish were not clean, but 
 never knew it until I came to their dreadful
 
 52 Like a Sister. 
 
 country," and she looked round to see that 
 the girls were duly impressed. 
 
 Their faces did not show the slightest 
 indication that they could otherwise account 
 for the "smuts." Kathleen felt disgusted, 
 but kept her eyes from telling it, with her 
 father's example before her. Amy saw this, 
 and gave her arm a good, hearty sym- 
 pathetic pinch. 
 
 " You mischievous little monkey ! " she 
 cried, when they had gone a few paces 
 ahead, " How dare you make me black and 
 blue ! " 
 
 u Kit ! I did not mean to hurt you ; 
 but I would have exploded just then if I 
 had not caught hold of something, and your 
 arm was so temptingly near. I can see by 
 your face that you don't understand innocent 
 fibs, and that rouge and kohl are quite new 
 discoveries. " 
 
 " I know it is very wrong to laugh at 
 your mother, Amy. But why oh why! 
 does she do such extraordinary things ? " 
 
 u Perhaps you'll know when you are her 
 age. I know I shall long before that, though 
 my skin is all right for some time to come, "
 
 Like a Sister. 53 
 
 rubbling a peachy cheek with a satisfied 
 air, "but they say Hong-Kong is a terrible 
 place for complexions, " ruefully. " You and 
 I will be coming out in war paint before 
 very long that will put poor mamma's rouge 
 pot quite in the shade." 
 
 "I? Never." 
 
 " Not if you lost your colour and turned 
 like well, like father even?" 
 
 u It would be my own skin, Amy, no 
 matter what colour it turned. And I used 
 to think your mother's complexion was her 
 own, although it was different from other 
 people's. Ah! my dear, you will find your 
 ignorant old sister has many things to learn, 
 although she had a French governess at Al- 
 lough ! I am afraid your mother thought I 
 intended to be deliberately disrespectful to 
 her. I am sorry for that." 
 
 " Oh ! don't worry. I never mean to be 
 undutiful, and mamma knows it, so does not 
 mind a bit what I do. But perhaps that's 
 because I am 'only a child,' as she says," 
 reflectively. u She has always treated me 
 like one anyhow ; maybe that is why I am 
 so silly and frivolous. But oh! Kitty, I
 
 54 Like a Sister. 
 
 do so want someone to take me in hand and 
 try to make me different; though that is 
 scarcely possible, for I have been spoilt all 
 my life, and always manage to get my own 
 way somehow. Mamma couldn't alter me, 
 and father is so grave that I am sometimes 
 half afraid of him, though he is always kind. 
 But you are different. You have any amount 
 of fun in you, and yet you are strong- 
 willed, and " 
 
 "0 dear! a strong-minded woman. Don't 
 you know that that is the very worst thing 
 a girl's enemy can say of her, Amy?" 
 
 " It is the very best I can say of my own 
 dear sister, anyhow ; and I only wish there 
 were more like you in this family," with a 
 plaintive little sigh. * Do you know, Kitty, 
 you remind me of something I read in that 
 queer old book I took up to bed with me 
 last night. It was a description of a knight 
 of olden times, and said, 'he had a soul of 
 iron mould cased in sweet flesh.' There 
 you are, quite complete, Castle and all, and 
 going out into the world to make a new 
 name for yourself!" 
 
 " 0, you are the oddest child ! " exclaimed
 
 Like a Sister. 55 
 
 Kathleen, smiling at the comparison, a but 
 I am quite content with my own name, and 
 have no idea of getting a new one." 
 
 "Time will show," sententiously ; "but in 
 the meantime you must look after me, and 
 try not to think about mamma's little ways. 
 She really does not mean half she says, for 
 she forgets it again and comes out with 
 something quite different next minute. Why, 
 if I were to remember a quarter of the scoldings 
 she gives me about nothing I should be 
 quite miserable ! And that would not suit 
 me at all," said Amy smiling, as she turned 
 up a bright little flower-face which seemed 
 made only for love and sunshine. 
 
 So she rattled on ; and, before they knew 
 it, the station was in sight. Nor ah Maloney 
 was there before them, whiling away the time 
 by a somewhat supercilious flirtation with 
 the only porter, which she felt was due to 
 her altered position. But she dismissed him 
 haughtily as soon as her sharp eyes caught 
 sight of her new mistress; and sat down on 
 the only bench the place afforded, looking 
 as quiet and demure, in her neat black dress, 
 as if "butther wouldn't melt in her mouth,"
 
 56 Like a Sister. 
 
 to use the deserted swain's expression. 
 A few minutes more and the travellers 
 have taken their places. A slamming of 
 doors, a half-sovereign changing hands, a 
 delighted grin on the receiver's face, a quer- 
 ulous woman's voice expostulating with her 
 husband on his needless extravagance, and 
 the train creeps out of the little station, soon 
 leaving it far behind.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE next month was spent by the 
 Tredennicks in London, getting the very 
 necessary outfit for Kathleen, whose dresses 
 at Allough had been neat and well fitting 
 certainly, but scarcely in the height of fashion, 
 neither were they suited for the hot weather 
 in Hong-Kong. Mrs. Tredennick was in her 
 element. She fussed about from one sale 
 to another ; as if her life depended upon 
 turning over bales of unwanted goods and 
 trucks of useless trimming; and numerous 
 were the purchases of all kinds that she 
 made for herself. Amy was not forgotten 
 either, and mother and daughter had a very 
 creditable addition to their stock in hand 
 before many days. In the meantime Major 
 
 57
 
 58 Like a Sister. 
 
 Tredennick wandered about like a troubled 
 spirit, afraid to go out lest he should be 
 dragged into a bonnet shop, and in terror 
 of sitting down upon a dress-maker's pin- 
 cushion when he stayed at home. He found 
 himself an utter stranger in town, one of 
 the last survivors of an almost extinct spe- 
 cies. His old friends had all dropped off 
 or left during his long absence, and he was 
 not a club-loving man. So it was a relief 
 to him, at least, when the day of departure 
 arrived; for that brought him nearer the 
 grind of work and the quiet recreation after 
 which now made up his life. 
 
 He had taken the passages in one of that 
 fine class of steamers, which, though chiefly 
 cargo vessels, carry about a dozen first-class 
 passengers, besides others, and are provided 
 with doctor and stewardess. The Leviathan 
 (every steamer belonging to this special 
 line was called after a sea-monster), one of 
 the finest of her kind, was almost new and 
 a&^ fresh as paint could make her. Her 
 captain was a sailor of the old school, rough 
 but kindly; and the officers were honest, 
 hard-working men who kept to themselves.
 
 Like a Sister. 59 
 
 The Tredennicks were the only first-class 
 passengers a fact which gave the elder 
 lady great pleasure, since it was her hard 
 fate to travel by anything short of a P. and 
 0. ! Now she felt safe from the objection- 
 able people she had pictured to herself as 
 travelling by this class of vessel; besides 
 there was more room in which to stow the 
 numerous odds and ends she had brought 
 on board. But Amy declared she would 
 rather have the ship full of 7^-less individuals 
 than have no one to talk to, and did not 
 know how she could possibly exist for five 
 weeks with nothing more lively to do than 
 look at the water. Books, work, and sketch- 
 ing all fell from her restless and unac- 
 customed fingers ; she had never been brought 
 up to occupy herself and could not get into 
 it all at once. As for Kathleen, everything 
 was so new to her that she had no time 
 to be lonely, and she quite enjoyed the 
 voyage in a quiet way. Then stopping at 
 the different places had an interest to her 
 more than the others; for they had been 
 through the same programme a few months 
 before, and she was now realizing the first
 
 60 Like a Sister. 
 
 delights of travel. There was very much 
 worth seeing to her at the different ports 
 where they went ashore, and whilst Mrs. 
 Tredennick invested in Caldae ware and 
 Moorish cushions at Gibraltar, lace and filigree 
 work at Malta, and Turkish Delight at Aden 
 to her heart's content, Kathleen was not 
 confining her clear, critical eyesight to the 
 detecting of flaws in native goods. 
 
 But her stepmother's hope of having the 
 ship all to herself was doomed to disappoint- 
 ment. A new passenger came on board at 
 Port Said. He was neither young nor hand- 
 some that could be told at a glance towards 
 his short, stout figure, as he came on deck 
 dressed in a suit of white duck, a huge 
 solar topee on his head, and carrying a large 
 green-lined umbrella. 
 
 "0, Kit! do look," exclaimed Amy, "I 
 am certain that's a new passenger, for I see 
 a portmanteau." 
 
 \ u A. new passenger ! Oh ! I trust not, " 
 cried Mrs. Tredennick, letting the bundle of 
 photographs she had been trying to get for 
 less than their coloured owner wanted flut- 
 ter on to the deck in her excitement. " What
 
 Like a Sister. 61 
 
 a dreadful looking creature ! I am certain 
 he will eat with his knife, and smoke vile 
 tobacco all over the place. I must try and 
 bring myself to speak to the captain; he 
 will at least be put at the other table during 
 meal time. This is all dreadfully unpleasant ! 
 But at least we can keep to ourselves/ 
 drawing herself up haughtily. " Girls, I for- 
 bid you to remain on the same side of the 
 deck as that person." 
 
 " We may look at him though, mamma ! " 
 said Amy saucily. " And oh dear ! Kitty, 
 doesn't the regulation hot-weather get-up suit 
 him? He is just like an overgrown mush- 
 room. What do you think?" 
 
 "It's a very good comparison. But he 
 looks kind and good-natured certainly; and 
 there is something about him that makes 
 me fancy he is not so commonplace as his 
 looks would lead one to suppose. I don't 
 think he will eat with his knife," decidedly. 
 
 "The idea of you girls criticizing a low, 
 vulgar person like that! Kind and good- 
 natured indeed! I wonder you are not 
 ashamed to give him even a thought. Good 
 gracious ! there is your father shaking hands
 
 62 Like a Sister. 
 
 with the creature. Well ! some people have 
 low tastes," and the lady turned to her bar- 
 gaining with an air of wrathful disdain. 
 
 For Major Tredennick, who had been stand- 
 ing beside his wife looking at the photo- 
 graphs, without joining in the conversation, 
 had turned to glance at the new passenger 
 who did not seem interesting from his daugh- 
 ters' description. But something in the 
 stranger's homely countenance struck him as 
 familiar, and he strode across the deck for 
 a closer inspection. 
 
 The other looked up casually; then stared 
 hard, and a beam of recognition burst over 
 Ms genial face whilst he rushed forward 
 with outstretched hands, exclaiming, 
 
 "Why, Dick, old fellow!" 
 
 " Hulloa, Tomlynes, and is it yourself? " 
 
 "As large as life. But I never dreamed 
 of seeing you here." 
 
 " And you are the last person I thought 
 %f meeting. Why, you are just the same 
 as ever a trifle stouter perhaps. I would 
 have known you in a thousand." 
 
 "Yes; 'the evergreen' they call me. 
 But I wish I could say the same of
 
 Like a Sister. 63 
 
 you, Dick. You are very much changed." 
 
 u I have not your light-hearted way of 
 looking at things; perhaps that is one of the 
 reasons. But you forget it is nearly twenty 
 years since you bade me good-bye at Ports- 
 mouth. Ah! Bob, you were a good Mend 
 to me then a friend in need and I have 
 never forgotten it." 
 
 " Twenty years ! So it is, so it is. I 
 would never have thought it. But we have 
 all had our troubles since then." 
 
 " They seem to have touched you lightly, 
 anyhow," replied Major Tredennick, looking 
 down enviously at the round jovial face 
 that never seemed to have known a care. 
 
 " That's part of my evergreen nature ; 
 but the heart's here all right. And one 
 thing I have to thank God for every day of 
 my life is for giving me such good, dutiful 
 children, who stood by me when trouble 
 came; and did not worry me into my grave 
 with complaints when the larder was nearly 
 empty. " 
 
 Major Tredennick smiled at the thought 
 of anything being able to worry his genial 
 friend into the grave, but he said inquiringly,
 
 64 Like a Sister. 
 
 u Not so bad as that I hope ? * 
 " Indeed it was bad enough when I had 
 to sell out, as I could not afford to live in 
 the service. You can't imagine how a fellow 
 feels, Tredennick, not knowing what to turn 
 his hand to, and with no rules and regulations 
 to guide him. A service man turned into 
 the world is like a ship in a storm. Every- 
 thing is combined to knock him to pieces, 
 and he may think himself lucky if he gets 
 into any sort of a port minus his trimmings. 
 But I was even worse off. For the family 
 was beginning to grow up; and it makes a 
 fellow feel a brute when those depending 
 on him can't have everything they want. 
 However, it has all come right in the end, 
 thanks to the children, bless them; and I 
 shall not worry you now with my family 
 history, for I am dying to hear all about 
 yourself. Are you travelling alone? And 
 what has become of your little girl Kathleen? " 
 ^ "She is with me. And likely to remain 
 for a long time yet, I hope; for I cannot 
 bear the thought of losing her now I have 
 got her. I am afraid I neglected her shame- 
 fully, for I had not seen her since she was
 
 Like a Sister. 65 
 
 a baby, until the other day. But it was 
 not unkindness or forgetfulness either ; though 
 no doubt she thinks so. Only I knew she 
 would be happier to grow up at the old 
 place, among people who would be kind to 
 her, than to rough it with me and with 
 me in India. And then somehow I could 
 not bear the idea of seeing her every day, 
 for I felt she would be a continual reproach 
 to me." 
 
 "Reproach how? I can't see that at all, " 
 as Major Tredennick hesitated, " for no man 
 could love his wife better that you loved her 
 mother. " 
 
 " I loved her, yes. But I forgot her in 
 the eyes of the world. And the girl is the 
 living image of my poor Kathleen. I could 
 tell that from photographs taken when she 
 was quite a small child. So, though I longed 
 to have her with me, I dreaded the 
 thought of seeing her look into my face with 
 her mother's eyes to remind me continually 
 of days that were gone for ever. Call it 
 cowardice, if you will ; I could not help it. " 
 
 " It was quite natural under the circum- 
 stances, my dear fellow, and I heartily 
 
 VOL. I. 5
 
 66 Like a Sister. 
 
 sympathize with you. But you have got 
 over the feeling, I trust." 
 
 u Yes in one way, for it has in a 
 measure given place to another. The girl 
 has created new interests for me, and I love 
 her more than I thought I could care for 
 anything now. Her mother's death made 
 a blank in my life that can never be filled 
 up ; though I tried hard not to grow morbid 
 and let my love for the dead interfere with 
 my duty to the living. But, somehow, when 
 I saw our daughter for the first time since 
 then she did not remind me painfully of what 
 had been; and my heart went out to her. 
 And now, though the old pain is always there, 
 I am happier and more at peace than I have 
 been for years. You are the only person 
 I have ever spoken to like this, Bob," con- 
 tinued Major Tredennick as though ashamed 
 of having said so much. " Now let us find 
 a more lively subject of conversation, " rous- 
 himself, and shaking off all trace of 
 emotion, * by the bye ! you have not met 
 my family yet. Come and be introduced to 
 Mrs. Tredennick and the girls." 
 
 "But surely you don't mean to say ?
 
 Like a Sister. 67 
 
 Why, Dick, you never told me you had 
 married again ! " 
 
 " It is what we have been talking about, " 
 reproachfully, "though perhaps I did not 
 put it hi plain words. But I thought you 
 would have understood why it was that I 
 tried to stifle the remembrance of my lost 
 darling. If I were free my thoughts could 
 wrong no one; once married, they belong 
 to my wife. At least that is my idea, 
 though I have found it impossible to act up to 
 it because a man cannot control his thoughts. " 
 
 " Do not try then. Thoughts hurt no one. 
 I see, my friend, that you are endeavouring 
 to live up to an impossible standard, which 
 ends only in worry and disappointment to 
 yourself and benefits no one. Just come 
 down from your height of self-martyrdom. 
 Take things as they are; you will find the 
 world not such a bad place after all. The 
 Chevalier Bayard style is quite out of date, 
 there is no room for it nowadays. Why, 
 man, if I had gone in for that sort 
 of thing, I might have starved or been in 
 the workhouse long ago ! " 
 
 "The role would suit you better than me,
 
 68 Like a Sister. 
 
 Tomlynes. But you always did manage to 
 cheer me up when I wanted rousing; and 
 I own there is some truth in your advice 
 now, though it comes too late for me to 
 profit by it if I would." 
 
 * Nonsense, nonsense ! No fear but you 
 will get shaken up enough by your newly- 
 found daughter. Ah ! there she is ! I would 
 know her anywhere from her likeness to 
 you and poor Kathleen. Just your old 
 carriage, and the same turn of the head. 
 As proud as Lucifer; as true as steel 
 your second self, Dick, before you ran to 
 seed. But stronger stronger. She will be 
 able to take care of you and herself both; 
 not the sort of girl to marry the first man 
 who flatters her. Not the ordinary sort of 
 inexperienced girlish beauty either. And 
 this regal creature has lived all her life at 
 Allough ! Well, well ! there's no teacher like 
 nature after all. And who is that sweet 
 kittle thing leaning on Kathleen's arm ? " 
 u My younger daughter, Amy. " 
 " come ! I have stayed quite long enough 
 talking to an old fossil like you. Now I 
 am going to take each of your lovely daugh-
 
 Like a Sister. 69 
 
 ters under a paternal wing and enjoy myself 
 for the rest of the voyage." 
 
 " Let me introduce you to my wife first, * 
 said Major Tredennick, as they approached 
 the group of ladies. " My dear, this is Mr. 
 Tomlynes, a very old friend of mine." 
 
 Mrs. Tredennick elevated her lorgnette to 
 see if her husband was really in earnest. 
 Finding he was, she bowed icily, pretending 
 not to see the outstretched hand the little 
 man had extended, in anticipation of a warmer 
 greeting. Then she lowered her eyelids with 
 an offended air, and commenced a leisurely 
 survey of his person, beginning at his white 
 canvas shoes, and travelling slowly upwards 
 until she reached the top of his mushroom 
 hat. When she had thoroughly satisfied 
 herself as to its quality and dimensions, she 
 brought her eyes down again with a jerk to 
 the level of his rubicund countenance, and 
 gazed at it in a way which was intended 
 to be very disconcerting. 
 
 But the little man bore the inspection 
 unflinchingly it is doubtful if anything could 
 have put him out and, taking not the 
 smallest notice of his cold reception, turned
 
 70 Like a Sister. 
 
 to the girls with the same genial smile he 
 had wasted on the desert air of Mrs. Tredennick. 
 
 u How do you do, Miss Kathleen ? Ah ! 
 you don't remember me, I see. And no 
 wonder. You were not quite such a great 
 girl when I saw you last ! " 
 
 " Indeed I have no recollection of you, 
 Mr. Tomlynes," answered Kathleen, smiling, 
 as she held out her hand cordially to make 
 up for the defect. 
 
 "No? How could you, my dear, when 
 you were only an infant in arms then! 
 But I intend to improve the acquaintance 
 now if you have no objection." 
 
 * I shall always be glad to know father's 
 friends," said Kathleen sweetly. 
 
 a That is nice of you. And what does 
 your sister say? Will she too take pity on 
 an old man who has the misfortune to be 
 ugly and uninteresting, and hold out the 
 right hand of fellowship?" 
 
 u I'm so glad you have come on board ; 
 and I'm sure you are not a bit uninter- 
 esting or or I mean, or you would not 
 be father's friend," exclaimed Amy, who, 
 notwithstanding her natural desire to always
 
 Like a Sister. 71 
 
 say something sweet and pretty, could not 
 bring herself to imply that Mr. Tomlynes 
 was an Adonis. 
 
 " My looks towards you, and my bows," 
 returned that gentleman, as ? placing his 
 hand on his heart, he executed a semicircular 
 curve with the grace and agility of an 
 elephant. " That was a very pretty com- 
 pliment; and one I don't get every day. 
 Yes ! your father and I were at college 
 together, and afterwards gazetted into the 
 same regiment. We used to be great 
 chums in those days, in fact, quite insepar- 
 able. And what do you think they nick- 
 named us? Can't you guess? Why Beauty 
 and the Beast, of course! Appropriate, 
 wasn't it?" 
 
 "Don't mind him, girls. He lives on 
 chaff, " interrupted Major Tredennick. u I 
 must say, Tomlynes, you are as irrepres- 
 sible as ever ! " 
 
 " What have I done now ? Just because 
 I'm talking to your daughters as if I'd 
 known them all my life! It's changed 
 times, Dick, when you're down upon a 
 fellow for doing his manners to the ladies.
 
 72 Like a Sister. 
 
 But I'll not give you away this time." 
 " Do keep quiet a moment, and let me 
 get in a word edgeways. I have not had 
 a chance of asking where you are bound 
 for, or if we are to have the pleasure of 
 hearing you rattle on in this way to the 
 end of the voyage?" 
 
 * No. I am sorry to say we must part 
 company at Singapore, if not earlier. My 
 business can't spare me any longer, though 
 I should like nothing better than to spend 
 a delightfully cool winter up north. But 
 my billet is too good a one to play ducks 
 and drakes with, so I must go back to the 
 mill and grind away until I've made my pile." 
 
 * Well ! any time you think of paying Hong- 
 Kong a visit you may be sure of a warm 
 welcome from us." 
 
 "Thank you, my dear fellow. I know 
 your kindness, and nothing would give me 
 greater pleasure. But business business ! " 
 > * Indeed we shall be delighted to put you 
 up whenever you can come," Mrs. Treden- 
 nick assured him in quite a friendly voice, 
 u I had no idea you were THE Mr. Tomlynes 
 who had been with my husband in the th."
 
 Like a Sister. 78 
 
 * My unfortunate appearance is very much 
 against me, I'm afraid. No one could pos- 
 sibly think of me as an old soldier," said 
 Mr. Tomlynes, laughing, as he noted how 
 the lady had turned round when she heard 
 his late profession, " I very much feared you 
 had mistaken me for a boatswain's mate, or 
 a tenth-rate skipper." 
 
 The first named was something like what 
 Mrs. Tredennick had compared him to ; though 
 she now assured him that nothing of the 
 kind could be seriously thought of, and 
 hastened to make up for her former rudeness 
 by an extra amount of friendliness. She 
 was a woman of narrow sympathies ; and the 
 fact that a person was possessed of beauty, 
 or talent, or genuine goodness of life or 
 character did not weigh with her one grain 
 unless he were inside or above the pale of 
 her society. Anyone below that was, in 
 her eyes, a pariah ; a being with whom she 
 had nothing in common, and who was only 
 to be tolerated as a necessary evil. Her 
 servants were mere labour-saving machines 
 if they did their work well it was only for 
 that she paid them; if they failed to give
 
 74 Like a Sister. 
 
 satisfaction, others could always be found 
 to take their places. But that they pos- 
 sessed hearts and feelings in common with 
 herself never struck her; or, if it did, she 
 put it aside as something utterly beneath 
 her notice. Long residence in India, where 
 the menials can be treated with impunity as 
 mere beasts of burden, had no doubt strength- 
 ened this impression ; and one of the rea- 
 sons which had prevented Major Tredennick 
 from accepting a home appointment was the 
 annoyance he felt certain would accrue from 
 his wife's endeavour to rule everything in 
 despotic fashion. 
 
 But if Mrs. Tredennick had no real sym- 
 pathy with the "lower orders," to use her 
 own expression, she made up for it amply 
 in another direction. Anyone above her 
 in wealth or station was sure of her abject 
 worship, no matter how unworthy the reci- 
 pient. A title, however, or a connection 
 Vith one, provided the owner had the neces- 
 sary blue blood in his veins, came even before 
 these in the eyes of the planter's daughter. 
 No wonder then that she felt furious with 
 herself for having mistaken the cousin and
 
 Like a Sister. 75 
 
 heir presumptive of the Earl of Wystown 
 for one of the common herd, though his 
 decidedly plebeian appearance might well 
 warrant the mistake. 
 
 Mr. Tomlynes had been waiting for his 
 inheritance for many years, and there seemed 
 no likelihood of his stepping into it yet for 
 a long time to come. But that did not affect 
 either his health or his spirits; though his 
 purse was often as light as the latter. He 
 had begun life with a fair income and good 
 prospects of success in his profession. But 
 money always seemed to slip through his 
 fingers ; and an early marriage with a dower- 
 less girl did not add to his finances. To 
 make matters worse, his cousin, who had 
 never been noted for kindness took offence 
 at this step and would not send even a 
 wedding present. Time went on; a large 
 family the natural consequences of an im- 
 prudent marriage began to spring up around 
 him. Expenses increased, money diminished. 
 As a last resource Tomlynes wrote to the 
 Earl that it was impossible to remain in the 
 service any longer unless he would assist 
 him. The answer was short and pithy, to
 
 76 Like a Sister. 
 
 the effect that as a man had made his bed 
 so he must lie on it; and not one penny 
 would he receive as long as his cousin was 
 above ground. There was nothing for it 
 but to sell out, and try to get something 
 else to do. But remunerative employment, 
 always difficult to obtain when there has not 
 been the necessary early training to fit one 
 for it, is scarcely to be had for a man with 
 no qualifications or tastes for business. 
 
 Mr. Tomlynes, therefore, thought himself 
 very fortunate when, after a time, through 
 the kindness of a friend, he obtained a post 
 in a foreign business house which commanded 
 the magnificent salary of .220 a year and 
 expenses! This billet necessitated a large 
 amount of travelling; and whilst Tomlynes 
 was following his occupation in various parts 
 of the world Europe, Asia and America in 
 turn, his wife stayed in a quiet part of 
 Germany where living was cheap, and did 
 her best to eke out the scanty allowance 
 while giving her children a thoroughly 
 sound education. The two sons and seven 
 daughters made such good use of their few 
 opportunities that, in time, the former passed
 
 Like a Sistei'. 77 
 
 their examination for entrance into the army 
 with flying colours, and obtained commis- 
 sions in the Royal Engineers, while the latter 
 qualified themselves for situations as teachers. 
 In all their privations they were a united 
 family, and throughout the long, hard, early 
 struggle they kept closely together ; and, by 
 their mutual self-helpfulness and considera- 
 tion for each other, contributed not a little 
 to their ultimate success. 
 
 Mrs. Tomlynes was a thoroughly clever 
 manager, as indeed she had need to be. It was 
 from her the children took their ability and 
 desire to get on in the world, as they had 
 inherited the bright, sunny disposition of their 
 father. So they were able to be cheerful 
 under privations, and thankful for any small 
 blessings that came in their way, and yet 
 work hard to better their position and enable 
 them to do something to assist the parents 
 to whom they were devotedly attached. 
 
 Susan, the eldest of the family, went out 
 to Singapore as companion to an invalid lady : 
 whose husband held one of the most influ- 
 ential positions in the Colony. The situation 
 had been obtained for her through her father,
 
 78 Like a Sister. 
 
 who, in one of his periodical wanderings 
 thither, had recognised Mr. Mallow as an 
 old friend, and who offered to let his daughter 
 fill the vacant place knowing she would be 
 sure of a happy home. And Susan found 
 it pay better than governessing. The lady 
 died after she had been there a few months, 
 and the girl readily found another situation ; 
 for her helpful, willing ways, added to a 
 homely appearance, made her sought after 
 by those matrons who strongly object to 
 their family circle being invaded by a depen- 
 dent who is pretty and flighty. Mr. Mallow, 
 however, knew the girl's real worth, and 
 the interest he had always felt for her in 
 time gave place to a deeper feeling. When 
 he made her an offer of marriage some years 
 later he was genuinely in love; and Susan 
 felt the goal of happiness reached as she 
 walked into church on her father's arm. 
 But it did not make her forget the mother 
 Snd sisters at the other side of the world. 
 The former was inundated with silks and 
 jewellery; the latter were invited out on 
 lengthy visits, one at a time, at the end of 
 which they had no desire to return unless
 
 Like a Sister. 79 
 
 accompanied by certain male creatures they 
 had never set eyes on before leaving home. 
 For these girls all married well; and 
 though none of them were beauties, or had 
 a farthing except what they earned, they 
 made none the worse wives for that. Their 
 father was not forgotten in the general pros- 
 perity. Anyone of them would gladly 
 have had their mother and him to live with 
 her. But the old people had always been 
 independent, and they declared they would 
 be so to the end. So Mr. Tomlynes did not 
 refuse a good billet in a leading firm, offered 
 to him by the junior partner, Sir James 
 Leopold Cameron. This gentleman was a 
 north country baronet of good family but 
 impoverished rent-roll, who had found com- 
 merce suit him better than idleness, and who 
 had married Mr. Tomlynes' second daughter, 
 Mary. He was in full enjoyment of these 
 altered circumstances, when he came across 
 his old friend, Tredennick. But good fortune 
 had changed neither his appearance, nor his 
 dress which hung in the same slovenly folds 
 that had provoked the anger of his com- 
 manding officer when he was a subaltern.
 
 80 Like a Sister. 
 
 His character was just the same too \- and 
 would never alter, even when he became Earl 
 of Wystown. But then his real goodness of 
 heart would be made patent to the world, 
 whereas now it was only known to his friends. 
 
 With all his good-nature, Mr. Tomlynes 
 was a capital judge of character. He had 
 taken Mrs. Tredennick's measure even before 
 she had disgusted him by her change of 
 manner. So, though he answered her almost 
 tender inquiries as to his family with the 
 utmost politeness, he confined his conver- 
 sation chiefly to the girls. 
 
 " And this is your first trip in a steamer, 
 Miss Kathleen," he began. 
 
 " Now, Tomlynes ! I will not have you 
 'missing' my daughters," interrupted Major 
 Tredennick. " Just call them by their Chris- 
 tian names as you used to call me and as 
 you used to call me long ago." 
 
 " Just what I want to do; Only I was 
 Afraid Mrs. Tredennick would not think it 
 quite proper at this early stage of our 
 acquaintance. " 
 
 " Oh ! pray do," replied that lady gushingly. 
 " You are a privileged person, you know.
 
 Like a Sister. 81 
 
 Besides, Amy is only a child; and I don't 
 suppose Kathleen was ever called 'miss' in 
 her life." 
 
 "Yes, I feel quite like an elderly uncle 
 already, " said Mr. Tomlynes quickly, fearing 
 the stepdaughter was about to retort to this 
 unjust remark. "Now what do you think of 
 the voyage, Kathleen, my dear?" 
 
 "Everything is so new and strange to 
 me that I scarcely know how to express 
 myself. It is all so different from what I 
 have ever seen before. But you cannot tell 
 how I enjoy landing at the various ports, 
 and seeing all the wonderful things they 
 contain. My impressions of Gibraltar, Malta 
 and Port Said are well! probably those of 
 any other girl coming out fresh into a new 
 strange world. I can feel, and notice keenly, 
 but not express. That will come afterwards, 
 when the strangeness has somewhat worn 
 off. At present I am simply drinking in 
 thirstily, greedily; even my tongue seems 
 used in the eifort. I don't suppose you know 
 the feeling, or can understand my raptures 
 about places which have become old and 
 commonplace to you. Amy does not, and 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 82 Like a Sister. 
 
 laughs at me. But I have seen so little of 
 the world in my life hitherto that it will 
 take a long time to make me blaste." 
 
 " Talking of Port Said," exclaimed Amy, 
 "I must give you an account of our ad- 
 ventures, Mr. Tomlynes, as Kitty can't find 
 words to express herself yet awhile. First. 
 We all went on shore yesterday to see the 
 place ; ferret out old acquaintances; and to 
 buy an amber necklace mamma had set her 
 heart on having, but which she thought was 
 too dear last time we passed through. We 
 got into one of the dirty, awkward, native 
 boats, and stopped awhile when half way 
 across to watch the little native boys dive 
 for money. They were quite pleased when 
 Kitty and I threw in sixpences and three- 
 penny bits; (which / was delighted to get 
 rid of, as we shall not want English money 
 much longer) and got them up in no time. 
 But they will not dive for copper, you know. 
 ^There was a ' gentleman ' in a boat next 
 to ours who threw in some pennies; and he 
 got furiously angry because they would not go 
 after them. So what do you think he did? " 
 
 " Dived in himself after his good money ? "
 
 Like a Sister. 83 
 
 " Something far meaner ! He got one of 
 the pennies his little girl was holding, and 
 covered it over with silver paper that came 
 off some chocolate his wife was eating, and 
 then held it up for the boys to see. It 
 looked exactly like a two-shilling piece, and 
 I wish you could have seen how they fought 
 and scrambled for best place when he threw 
 it into the water. At last, the biggest one 
 managed to secure it, and brought it up 
 between his teeth. But a bit of the paper 
 had come off, and directly he saw what it 
 really was, such a look of disappointment 
 came into his face. Then the man in the 
 boat began to laugh, and his wife and 
 children joined in. This roused the boys, 
 and they set up such a chorus of jabbering, 
 shaking their fists at him, and looking just 
 like wild animals. I am certain they were 
 cursing and swearing in their own language, 
 and no wonder." 
 
 " I made inquiries afterwards, and found 
 out the man was a missionary," remarked 
 Mrs. Tredennick. " If that is how they teach 
 the heathen, the heathen are better without 
 them. "
 
 84 Like a Sister. 
 
 "I agree with you," replied Mr. Tomlynes. 
 "But it is always well to be sure one is 
 rightly informed on these matters." 
 
 " To go on with our adventures, " resumed 
 Amy, " we landed. And, when I say we, 
 I mean father, mamma, Kitty and myself, 
 not forgetting Norah Maloney." 
 
 " Who is the lady with the Hibernian 
 name, pray ? " 
 
 " 0, don't you know ! She's mamma's new 
 maid. " 
 
 u Not mine, if you please, Amy. / have 
 
 nothing at all to do with that treasure your 
 
 father insisted on bringing. Major Tre- 
 
 dennick was afraid Kathleen might be lonely 
 
 without some of her former associates to 
 
 talk to, Mr. Tomlynes. So he must needs 
 
 inflict a creature on the whole family a 
 
 creature who never wore shoes and stockings 
 
 until I compelled her ! " with tragic emphasis. 
 
 "That is scarcely correct," said Major 
 
 ^redennick, in the quiet even tones he used 
 
 when trying to control his temper. u You 
 
 would have a servant who had never been 
 
 out before, and Norah was the only one 
 
 willing to come. So we decided she would
 
 Like a Sister. 85 
 
 do at a pinch, though Kathleen and Made- 
 moiselle Tirer did not seem satisfied with 
 the selection. But as for my daughter 
 associating with her, the idea is ridiculous; 
 and no one but yourself would have thought 
 of anything so absurd." 
 
 "All I can say is that Kathleen is a 
 credit to her associates whoever they were. 
 And, if this Irish peasant is such a precep- 
 tor of grace and manners, we might all do 
 worse than take lessons from her. Now, 
 Amy, begin your story, for I am most 
 anxious to hear all about this wonderful 
 person," said Mr. Tomlynes smiling. 
 
 " I'm afraid you will be grievously dis- 
 appointed. Norah certainly is greatly im- 
 proved; but what happened yesterday does 
 not redound to her credit," remarked 
 Kathleen, with a pained look in her beau- 
 tiful dark eyes. She abhorred these public 
 wranglings, and, well as she understood the 
 motives of her father and Mr. Tomlynes, 
 would sooner have quietly endured the small, 
 mean, petty spite of her stepmother, than 
 have it thrust forward by reproofs. She 
 would have it simply ignored, as something
 
 86 Like a Sister. 
 
 too low to be noticed, much less commented 
 upon. 
 
 "Any more interruptions, Kitty, and I'll 
 set you the task of taming the savage sin- 
 gle-handed," laughed Amy. "Well, Mr. 
 Tomlynes! we poked about the dirty little 
 shops for a while. But I got tired of having 
 no one to talk to, for Kitty was so lost in 
 admiration of a group of turbanned Arabs 
 that I hadn't the heart to disturb her. 
 Then I looked round for Norah, thinking her 
 original remarks on the place in general 
 would be some fun to listen to; but she 
 was no where to be seen. So I rushed up 
 to father, who was buying a bracelet for 
 Kitty, and told him she was lost. 
 
 " 'Eh; what?' he exclaimed with an absent 
 air, and looking rather guilty at being found 
 out. Then it suddenly began to dawn upon 
 him. 'Lost!' he repeated, and, popping 
 the bracelet into his pocket, rushed out of 
 >the shop. But he was not going to get off 
 so easily, for the owner flew after him like 
 a shot and seized him by the arm. 'You 
 no have pay, sah ! You no have pay ! ' he 
 yelled. I wish you could have seen father's
 
 Like a Sister. 87 
 
 look of disgust as he flung off the fellow's 
 arm!" 
 
 " No wonder either. I'm ashamed of you, 
 Dick. To come to this in your old age! 
 I never could have believed it of you but 
 for the veracious testimony of your own 
 daughter. " 
 
 * And, as I can't defend myself, I shall 
 leave you frivolous people, and go and ask 
 the captain a question," replied Major Tre- 
 dennick. 
 
 " Is it not a beauty, Mr. Tomlynes? * 
 asked Kathleen, displaying the quaint, fi- 
 gured, gold circlet on her wrist. " Dear 
 father is always so good to me," following 
 the retreating figure with loving eyes. 
 
 " Yes, it is very handsome. Just what 
 a lady friend of mine always calls 'sweetly 
 pretty,' " replied he, after inspecting the 
 bracelet. " And if you are both as consi- 
 derate to your father as he is to you, why 
 you may be the very happiest family in the 
 world ! " 
 
 " My husband is doing his best to spoil the 
 girls. First it was Amy; but I would not 
 allow that, so now he turns round to Kath-
 
 88 Like a Sister. 
 
 leen over whom I have no control," said 
 Mrs. Tredennick in acid tones. 
 
 "Dick was aways generosity itself. But 
 a person is never spoilt by kindness, I think. 
 On the contrary it is injustice or indifference 
 that is responsible for so many warped and 
 ruined lives." 
 
 u Of course I might have known that you 
 and my husband hold the same opinions ! " 
 answered Mrs. Tredennick, resuming the fancy- 
 work she had laid aside, thereby intimating 
 that she had said everything worth saying 
 on the subject. 
 
 "Now, Amy, I am all attention," said 
 Mr. Tomlynes after a pause, " what happened 
 when Norah was lost?" 
 
 "Oh! We all started to look for her. 
 But before we had gone many yards a 
 great cloud of dust appeared in the distance. 
 We stood on one side to avoid being suffocated, 
 or run over; for the dust was caused by 
 someone riding towards us at a most furious 
 rate. Imagine our surprise and horror when 
 we discovered the someone to be Norah, 
 mounted on one of those big donkeys that 
 go nearly as quickly as a horse. The creature
 
 Like a Sister. 89 
 
 was galloping as fast as his legs could carry 
 him; but, not content with that, she was 
 belabouring him with her umbrella, and 
 shouting, 'go on, ye spalpeen!' at the top 
 of her voice. Her hair was all flying loose; 
 and we have never been able to find her 
 hat yet. I laughed till the tears ran down 
 my cheeks. But I quite pitied the poor 
 girl when father brought her to a stand- 
 still; she looked so taken aback and crest- 
 fallen and ashamed of herself." 
 
 " No wonder, when her pleasure had such an 
 abrupt termination. I can well imagine your 
 father's look when he bade her alight," said 
 Mr. Tomlynes, laughing. " But, seriously now, 
 Amy; would you not have liked a donkey- 
 ride too without the unpleasant finish?" 
 
 " No, decidedly not, when I saw what a 
 figure Norah cut. But, just after we landed, 
 when we came across the long row of 
 donkeys, whose keepers were shouting, 
 'Have a ride, sah? Yankee Doodle, sah! 
 Mrs. Langtry, sah ! ' indicating their special 
 steeds you know what odd names they call 
 these creatures at Port Said! then I would 
 have given anything for a ride."
 
 90 Like a Sister. 
 
 u Poor Norah ! " exclaimed Kathleen, " she 
 assured me she could not resist the temptation 
 to save her life. It seems the donkey 
 reminded her of the one her mother used to 
 borrow to carry the turf home from the bog. 
 It used to be Norah's greatest pleasure to 
 ride in front of the empty panniers; and a 
 hard life that poor donkey must have had if 
 she drove it at the same furious rate we 
 saw yesterday ! But I don't think she will 
 do anything of the kind again." 
 
 * Not much chance in Hong-Kong ! Four- 
 footed animals are quite too expensive luxu- 
 ries to be hired out at so much an hour. 
 You must all be content with two-legged 
 beasts of burden, I'm afraid ; unless you are 
 millionaires and intend to confine yourself to 
 a couple of miles of level ground, and early 
 morning exercise on the Race Course." 
 
 "Now what are you saying, Tomlynes?" 
 asked Major Tredennick who had just come 
 *lp behind him. " Not trying to put my 
 girls out of conceit with their new home, 
 surely ! * 
 
 " Certainly not. Hong-Kong is a grand 
 little place bar the hot summer! But, as I
 
 Like a Sister. 91 
 
 have not been there for the last five years, 
 most of the people I knew will have taken 
 their departure. That is, all except a few 
 old land-marks, who live and die there. 
 The rest are mere birds of passage. I am 
 going to write to my son, however, who 
 is at present stationed there, and tell him 
 all about you. He will be only too glad 
 to do anything he can. So don't spare him, 
 Tredennick. And you will be sure to meet 
 a great friend of Tom's a fine young fel- 
 low in the Artillery, named Clifford Ray 
 Clifford. Eh ! what is it, Kathleen, my dear? " 
 
 For a deep, painful flush had suffused the 
 girl's features, dyeing them crimson up to 
 the roots of her dark hair, and as suddenly 
 receded, leaving them deadly white. But 
 in a moment she had rallied her forces and 
 was quite herself again, to all outward 
 appearance, as she answered in her natural 
 clear, sweet voice, 
 
 u Oh ! nothing. The heat made me feel 
 faint for a second. But I am quite well 
 now. Thank you, Amy dear, but don't 
 trouble to fan me. No, Mrs. Tredennick, 
 I was never considered unhealthy. I am
 
 92 Like a Sister. 
 
 sorry to have interrupted you, Mr. Tom- 
 lynes. Do, pray, go on with what you were 
 saying." 
 
 But that gentleman had either lost the 
 thread of his discourse or else did not care 
 to resume it; and he wandered about on 
 general topics which at other times would 
 have interested Kathleen, but now fell flat 
 on her inattentive ears. And, though the 
 girl made a feint of listening, and even 
 joined in the conversation now and then, 
 it required all the energy of her strong 
 will to prevent her betraying herself by 
 making desperate inquiries on the subject 
 next her heart. The strain was becoming 
 almost unbearable when the sound of the 
 tiffin bell dispersed the group : and the sis- 
 ters approached the saloon hand in hand. 
 
 "Go into luncheon without me, Amy, for 
 father does not like you to be late," said 
 Kathleen. u But I really could not venture 
 iij like this!" and she held up a pair of 
 slim, white, hands, the palms and fingers of 
 which were dyed a brilliant crimson. 
 
 " Kitty, how horrid ! It looks just like 
 blood. Why, it must have come oif that
 
 Like a Sister. 93 
 
 fan with the red sticks you were holding 
 just now! Be quick and wash them, dear, 
 or father will miss you," and Amy inno- 
 cently tripped in to tiffin. 
 
 Kathleen walked slowly up the alleyway 
 and into the little cabin she shared with her 
 sister, with her eyes bent on the mutilated 
 fan she had crushed beneath her fingers. 
 When it fell to the ground she took no 
 notice ; but gazed with the same intent look 
 upon her crimsoned hands. 
 
 " Blood ! " she repeated to herself, with a 
 horrified intonation. "Yes! It looks just 
 like blood. But oh! little sister, you do not 
 know that my heart's blood is being wrung 
 out too. And what a fool I am! To give 
 a thought to a man who cannot even keep 
 a promise ! " Then, catching sight of her 
 white, drawn face in the glass, her strong 
 pride came to her aid. She drew herself 
 up haughtily, while a look of quiet deter- 
 mination seemed to change even the features. 
 "But I shall show him he cannot play fast 
 and loose with a Tredennick. I will let him 
 see that I care as little for him as he does 
 for me," she muttered between her teeth
 
 94 Like a Sister. 
 
 as she dipped her hands in the basin. u Ah ! 
 How easily the stain comes off! A little 
 water effects the change. And so by water 
 I wipe out all my love for him. For if I 
 had stayed at Allough I might have gone 
 on waiting and hoping all my life though 
 I thought in my folly I had outlived this. 
 But now, when I cross this ocean, and know 
 from his own lips how false he has been, 
 I shall estimate him at his true value. And 
 yet Mr. Tomlynes called him ' a fine young 
 fellow.' I wish I could have asked him what 
 he knew. Perhaps young Tomlynes has a 
 sister. Of course, that must be it ! But 
 Ray always admires beauty so. And he used 
 to say I was beautiful. " Then rousing her- 
 self, " Oh ! how foolish I am, thinking of this ! 
 Yes. I look all right now," after a quick 
 critical survey, " no one would imagine there 
 is anything wrong. I do not mind what 
 subject is started now. They cannot take me 
 Hby surprise ; I shall not make a fool of my- 
 self again. But I hope dear father will not 
 be vexed with me for being late." 
 
 So ending her disconnected soliloquy, in 
 which she plainly showed her real feelings
 
 Like a Sister. 95 
 
 towards Ray Clifford, Kathleen walked out 
 of the cabin, head erect, and entered the 
 saloon with the air of a young queen. And 
 none of the party could tell from her manner 
 that she had gone through a hard mental 
 struggle as severe as it was brief; or that 
 she had been otherwise engaged than in the 
 ordinary occupation of washing her hands. 
 
 Mr. Tomlynes did not again mention the 
 name of his son's friend in Kathleen's hear- 
 ing. As the days went on the girl's hungry 
 thirst for news of him was stifled by her 
 determined resolve not to ask for it, or to 
 make any inquiries on a subject, the merest 
 mention of which, in an unguarded moment, 
 had almost betrayed her secret. She would 
 find out for herself soon enough, she argued : 
 putting off the evil day until the end of the 
 voyage contrary to her natnre, which always 
 impelled her to know the worst at once. 
 
 But love makes moral cowards of the 
 strongest. And who would willingly tear 
 in pieces and fling away the rent garment 
 of their best desires when there is a shred 
 of hope left to bind it together?
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE approach to the harbour of Hong- 
 Kong is at once bold and picturesque. Grim 
 cliffs of red granite guard the land ; in many 
 cases rising sheer out of the water to such 
 a height that it is utterly impossible to 
 effect a landing. Behind these stand rows 
 of hills, towering one above the other, in 
 seemingly endless succession on the China 
 side. Veritable mountains they look in their 
 grim nakedness, with their red-brown sides 
 utterly bare of either tree or shrub, and 
 Coasting no other covering than patches of 
 coarse, rank grass that spring into existence 
 in the clefts between the rocks, only to be 
 dried and shrivelled up by the scorching 
 rays of a tropical summer sun.
 
 Like a Sister. 97 
 
 But, as Chinese territory is left behind, 
 the colour of the hills changes altogether. 
 A beneficent British government has planted 
 her portion of them all over with Scotch 
 firs ; and the dark green of the hardy little 
 trees dotted here and there, but not yet 
 grown large enough to convert the whole 
 into an unbroken verdant expanse, is a most 
 welcome relief to the eyesight. 
 
 The narrow Lee Moon Pass, with its 
 steep, precipitous cliifs frowning down upon 
 the water on the summit of which is the 
 hidden fort lined with sleeping guns makes 
 a formidable entrance. From this point can 
 be seen the beginning of the shipping that 
 crowds the splendid harbour. The tall masts 
 of the men-of-war are soon discernible; and, 
 in a few minutes more, myriads of queer- 
 shaped Chinese sampans and clumsy junks 
 can be easily distinguished from the numerous 
 army of steam-launches that ply to and fro. 
 
 The city of Victoria is built in irregular 
 terraces, one above the other where there is 
 room. Business houses or 'Hongs' chiefly 
 occupy the lower level ; as do also the Chinese 
 dwelling-places in a quarter of their own.
 
 98 Like a Sister. 
 
 The English residents live at various altitudes 
 up the hill. 
 
 It was a clear bright morning in the 
 beginning of November when the Leviathan 
 came to the end of her voyage. Kathleen 
 and Amy were on deck, waiting for their 
 father to give the word to land. Mrs. 
 Tredennick had not appeared yet. 
 
 " Is it not a lovely scene ? " asked the 
 elder girl, who was watching everything 
 with the keenest interest. u How pictur- 
 esque the houses look perched up on the hill ! 
 They almost seem to be built on nothing 
 just springing out of the clumps of green 
 trees with which they are surrounded." 
 
 "Yes, it is very nice indeed. But it 
 would be a pleasure to me to see any kind 
 of land after gazing so long on salt water. 
 You are different, Kitty. You can find out 
 all sorts of beauties in things that look all 
 the same in my eyes." 
 
 "I must bore you terribly then, when I 
 try and get you to like the things which 
 interest me," was the smiling rejoinder. 
 
 " Indeed, no ! You simply amuse me. But 
 when you have travelled as much as I have,
 
 Like a Sister. 99 
 
 you will not think as much as you do now 
 about scenery. One outgrows the feeling," 
 replied Amy, with a grand patronizing air 
 that sat very oddly on her small person 
 and youthful face. 
 
 " On the contrary, I'm afraid I shall 
 always be a source of amusement to you; 
 for travelling seems only to increase my 
 love of the beautiful in nature. I really 
 can't help myself, Amy. But suppose you 
 take me in hand and point out what I 
 should admire." 
 
 " If you must admire anything, let it be 
 something that lives and moves and has its 
 being. Look at those Chinamen, Kitty ! 
 Now tell me if even they are not better 
 than stone walls and green trees that you 
 may gaze at for a century and speak to. 
 if you like; but they have never a word 
 to say in return." 
 
 " Perhaps I can understand them better 
 than the Chinamen, Amy. At least for the 
 present. " 
 
 "But it is a relief to hear them chatter, 
 even if you don't understand a word they 
 say."
 
 100 Like a Sister. 
 
 " There I can't agree with you. It's not 
 music in my ears anyhow ! Just listen ; 
 what shrill-pitched voices they have. But, 
 Amy, I verily believe you would listen to 
 the bag-pipes with delight sooner than hear 
 nothing at all." 
 
 "Yes," with a wry face. "For there 
 must be always someone to play them. 
 And, Mr. Tomlynes says, we shall hear 
 plenty of the bag-pipes; for most of the 
 civilian residents are Scotch and clanny. 
 You are right; I would listen to almost 
 anything, so as to have people around me, 
 rather than have no one to talk to or look at. " 
 
 "And I can be quite happy by myself. 
 When it comes to intimate friendships, 1 
 always choose my friends." 
 
 8 Oh ! you need not fear for me either. I 
 don't intend to disgrace the family by falling 
 in love with a Chinaman!" flippantly. 
 
 "I hope neither of us will do that, Amy 
 dear," replied Kathleen with grave serious- 
 ness. "It would break father's heart." 
 
 * How silly you are, Kitty ! Quite as bad 
 as I am. And I expected you would teach 
 me to be sensible instead of leading me
 
 Like a Sister. 101 
 
 into frivolity," said Amy, laughing merrily. 
 
 "What's the joke, girls? Or is it too 
 private and confidential to be told to me?" 
 asked Major Tredennick, coming up behind 
 them. 
 
 " It's quite too silly for anything, father. 
 Kitty has just been warning me in the most 
 serious manner possible that I am on no 
 account to unite myself to a 'Heathen 
 Chinee.' I declare she's worse than Norah!" 
 
 " You know that was not what I meant, 
 Amy," indignantly. 
 
 u Heathen or Christian, he must have my 
 approval first. And he will have to be a 
 good man all round to get that. Besides I 
 do not want to lose either of you for a long 
 time to come then only when I know it 
 is for your own happiness. You are not 
 out here on 'spec,' my dears." 
 
 "It was only fun, father!" exclaimed Amy, 
 abashed at the tone of his answer. 
 
 u Yes, I know that, you frivolous little 
 mortal. But don't let me ever have any- 
 thing of this sort in earnest; or you may 
 stick to your Chinaman." 
 
 " You need never be afraid of our forgetting
 
 102 Like a Sister. 
 
 whose daughters we are," was Kathleen's 
 impressive rejoinder. 
 
 "I am certain of that. Otherwise you 
 should never have come out here with me. 
 And now, my dears," changing his serious 
 tone, " have you got everything ready to leave 
 the ship ? " 
 
 "Yes. All the traps have been taken on 
 shore. " 
 
 * Come along then. Let us follow them. 
 Your chairs are waiting on the wharf, you 
 see." 
 
 * ! do stop one second like a dear, good 
 father!" exclaimed Amy, seizing his arm, 
 " I must run back for something. " 
 
 "That child would forget her head if it 
 wasn't fastened on tight," remarked Major 
 Tredennick. " You will have to take her in 
 hand, and act the stern elder sister, Kath- 
 leen." 
 
 "So she has told me. But no one could 
 be cross with Amy for long, I think." 
 
 " She is a sweet little thing. But has it 
 never struck you what a child she is in 
 every way? You have great influence with 
 her, Kathleen; I have noticed that already.
 
 Like a Sister. 103 
 
 She loves and looks up to you yet you do 
 not oppress her, as staid older people do," 
 with a sigh. " I think it will depend on 
 you to a great extent what kind of woman 
 she turns out to be." 
 
 " It would be such a pity to change her 
 now even if one had the power. It is so 
 easy to feel older than one's age. But how 
 few people are really younger in thought 
 and sympathy?" 
 
 " True. Then perhaps we must be content 
 to let the child remain a child until age 
 and circumstances have moulded her into 
 a woman. Here she comes at last! Let her 
 follow." 
 
 "You didn't wait for me after all. That 
 was rather unkind of you, Kitty," cried 
 Amy, as she joined them on the wharf." 
 "But I found it on the top of my berth," 
 and she held up a hand-mirror for their 
 inspection. u It was very stupid of me to 
 forget it; but I required it at the last moment 
 to see if my hair curled nicely over the back 
 of my hat; and I must have put it down 
 and left it there." 
 
 "The woman is developing without our
 
 104 Like a Sister. 
 
 help, Kathleen," said Major Tredennick 
 smiling. 
 
 u What's that you're saying, father?" 
 asked Amy. 
 
 "That, if I were a young man, I would 
 compare you to a mermaid in that pretty 
 green dress, with the glass in your hand to 
 complete the illusion." 
 
 "That's the only compliment you ever 
 paid me in your life, father; but as it's 
 such a nice one I shall forgive you telling 
 stories. " 
 
 " Come and get into your chairs now, 
 while I go and fetch your mother, Amy," 
 said Major Tredennick in his usual grave 
 voice. 
 
 * What is coming over, father ! " exclaimed 
 Amy in astonishment, when the coolies 
 had raised the bamboo framework for them 
 to pass under, and they were comfortably 
 ensconced in their chairs. " He is actually 
 getting quite skittish. Fancy paying me a 
 compliment! if he were always like that 
 it would be so nice! But I feel half afraid 
 of him sometimes, he is so grave and absent. 
 Though I never let him think so if I can
 
 Like a Sister. 105 
 
 help it; it seems such a lowering feeling to 
 be in dread of anyone." 
 
 " It is only his natural manner, Amy, 
 nothing more. But I think he has looked 
 brighter lately. And we must try to do 
 all in our power to make him happy. You 
 remember what he said just now? " 
 
 "About not wanting to lose us; indeed I 
 do remember. But he need not be afraid 
 as far as I am concerned; for I wouldn't 
 marry the best man in the world no, not 
 for anything ! " 
 
 " Is that a sudden impulse or a lifelong 
 resolution ? " 
 
 u You may laugh at me if you like when 
 I tell you seriously that I made up my mind 
 to it a long time ago." 
 
 " Really ? " in an amused tone. 
 
 " Yes, really. And I mean to keep to it. 
 But, as you don't seem to think me in 
 earnest, I shall not try to convince you. 
 Time will show as I remarked once before ! 
 The fact is, Kitty, I have seen so much of 
 the mistakes of matrimony ever since I was 
 born, that I am not foolish enough or brave 
 enough, if you like to risk it. All right,
 
 106 Like a Sister. 
 
 dear, we won't discuss it if you don't wish, 
 And, as you have given me only half your 
 attention since we came in sight of Hong- 
 Kong, I shall leave you in peace to view 
 your beloved 'beauties of nature'. Though 
 it's rather late for that now; here come 
 father and mamma. 0, Kitty ! there's Norah 
 too. Let's watch her getting into her chair. " 
 
 But that young woman seemed in no hurry 
 to seat herself. She stood gazing at the mode 
 of conveyance with the deepest disgust, and 
 then looked from the chair to the coolies 
 waiting beside it in doubt and perplexity. 
 
 " Come, Norah, get in, and don't be keeping 
 us all day," said her master. 
 
 " Get into that basket-work bird-cage, do 
 you mean, sor? What for, sor?" (Norah's 
 accent had been undergoing a gradual refining 
 process on the way out, and only gave vent 
 to its full volume of richness in times of 
 great emotion). 
 
 "To be carried home, of course." 
 ^*Well! sor, I see the shafts, one pair in 
 front and the other behind ; but where's the 
 horses to come from?" 
 
 " Come, come ! You saw these things at
 
 Like a Sister. 107 
 
 Singapore," then suddenly remembering that, 
 by Mrs. Tredennick's stringent orders, the 
 girl had been kept on board with a lengthy 
 task of needlework at every port touched 
 after the unlucky breach of discipline at Port 
 Said, he added, " those Chinamen are to be 
 the horses. Be quick and get in, or I shall 
 leave you behind." 
 
 This threat had the desired effect. Norah 
 entered the chair with an audible sigh of 
 resignation, feeling that nothing could sur- 
 prise her after that. 
 
 u Lord save us and keep us ! " was her 
 fervent ejaculation when the chair was hoisted 
 on to the coolies' shoulders with a violent 
 jerk. * But this is a strange country, where 
 they dhrive tandem before an' behind, an' 
 the horses has their tails plaited down their 
 backs, an' has niver a leg but two!" 
 
 So the party proceeded to the hotel, which 
 was to be their temporary residence until 
 a suitable house could be found. 
 
 On arriving there, and having come down 
 to their sitting-room after removing their 
 hats, the ladies were rather surprised to 
 find it invaded by two strangers of the male
 
 108 Like a Sister. 
 
 sex, who were seated near the window 
 engaged in an animated conversation with 
 Major Tredennick. 
 
 They turned round as the door opened; 
 and were introduced as Captain Hazeldene 
 and Mr. Venn. 
 
 "I am afraid you must think us very 
 premature in calling, Mrs. Tredennick, "said the 
 former. " But my mess-mate, Mr. Tomlynes, 
 asked me if I would deliver a message from 
 him to you as soon as your ship came in. 
 And I met my friend Mr. Venn at the 
 hotel-door so have ventured to bring him." 
 
 "Mr. Tomlynes' friends are always wel- 
 come," responded Mrs. Tredennick graciously. 
 
 Captain Hazeldene smiled his recognition a 
 pleased yet self-satisfied smile as if he were 
 perfectly certain of his reception anywhere 
 beforehand. 
 
 "I would have come on board to meet 
 you had I only had Tomlynes' letter in time " 
 he assured his audience, "but, directly I 
 received it a few minutes ago, I made 
 inquiries as to your whereabouts; and, 
 finding you had just entered the hotel, came 
 here post haste."
 
 Like a Sister. 109 
 
 " That was very kind of you, " remarked 
 Mrs. Tredennick for want of something better 
 to say. 
 
 "It is a very great pleasure, I assure 
 you," replied Captain Hazeldene, with a 
 glance at Kathleen and Amy. " And, if there 
 is anything I can do for you, you have only 
 to command me. Mr. Tomlynes asked me 
 to convey to you his regrets on being unable 
 to be here in person to meet you as he 
 would have wished. But he had already 
 gone up North when his father's telegram 
 arrived, and could not manage to come 
 back in time. He is still away on leave; 
 and intends to stay to have some shooting 
 at Shanghai. So we cannot expect him back 
 for the next month or so. But, in the 
 meantime, if you will accept me as a sub- 
 stitute, I shall do my best to fill his place. " 
 
 " Thank you. But there is really nothing 
 to be done at present. We must just wait 
 patiently here until we can find a suitable 
 house." 
 
 "A matter of tremendous difficulty in 
 Hong-Kong! But I know of a nice place 
 up the hill, that I fancy would suit you.
 
 110 Like a Sister. 
 
 But of course you will be the best judge 
 of that. Only there's no time like the pre- 
 sent. This house will in all probability be 
 taken by someone else to-morrow or 
 next day." 
 
 " We must go and inspect it then, for I 
 am very anxious to get into our own house. 
 Hotel life does not suit me, no matter how 
 comfortable the place may be," said Major 
 Tredennick. 
 
 "Then I shall come and show you the 
 place to-morrow if you will allow me. Of 
 course you would all be too tired to go to-day ; 
 and there is nothing like a lady's taste. What 
 do you say, Miss Tredennick?" asked Cap- 
 tain Hazeldene turning to Kathleen. 
 
 "I do not feel at all tired, But 
 
 "How could anyone be tired who has 
 had no more exercise than walking over 
 the boards of that old ship for I don't 
 know how long ! " interrupted Amy, who 
 had been used to the title for so long 
 tkat she felt she was the one addressed. 
 " We even came here in chairs. Oh ! I should 
 love a walk." 
 
 "You must wait until to morrow, for I
 
 Like a Sister. Ill 
 
 could not have you go like that/' said Mrs. 
 Tredennick decidedly. "All your other 
 dresses are packed up, and the boxes have 
 not even arrived yet." 
 
 u How depraved a man's taste must be ! " 
 exclaimed Captain Hazeldene, "For I think 
 those pretty pale green gowns are simply 
 perfection," and he looked from the frocks 
 to their wearers with evident satisfaction. 
 
 " There I beg to differ from you, " replied 
 Mrs. Tredennick rather coldly. u The dresses 
 are all very well for indoors; but scarcely 
 the thing to make a first appearance in on 
 coming to a new place ! " 
 
 u Ah ! you ladies think so much of dress ; 
 and we men so much of something else," 
 replied Captain Hazeldene, with a very evi- 
 dent intonation as to what the something 
 else was, but not quite sure enough of his 
 ground to express himself more clearly. 
 
 " Such as a cigarette, for instance, " re- 
 marked Mr. Venn in a deep, sepulchral voice 
 that seemed to come from his boots, and 
 with a mysterious air, as if he were pro- 
 pounding the answer to an unsolved conun- 
 drum.
 
 112 Like a Sister. 
 
 As this was the first time he had opened 
 his mouth during the interview except to 
 say the customary " How do " ; and had kept 
 so quiet in his movements since that the 
 ladies, who had almost forgotten his existence 
 during the comprehensive chatter of Captain 
 Hazeldene, turned round, surprised at hearing 
 the unusual sounds proceeding from his quite- 
 put-in-the-shade companion. 
 
 Mr. Venn had seated himself slightly away 
 from the others on a chair which stood 
 somewhat in a corner, and with his back 
 to the light. But that could not prevent 
 them from noticing a pair of bright, round, 
 twinkling eyes shining out of a full moon 
 shaped face that looked the colour of pale 
 putty. His hair, which was parted neatly 
 down the middle, lay smooth and flat and 
 glossy except for two tufts that were brushed 
 backwards and stood up boldly like little 
 horns on each side of his head. This, added 
 to the round black eyes and solemn manner, 
 ^gave him an owl-like expression of countenance ; 
 and singularly like the bird of wisdom he looked 
 as he sat in his shady corner and gazed out un- 
 blinkingly at the other occupants of the room.
 
 Like a Sister. 113 
 
 Captain Hazeldene, on the contrary, had 
 nothing odd about his appearance, but was 
 one of a very usual type of English male 
 humanity. He was fairly tall, tolerably fair, 
 and decidedly sunburnt. His blue eyes shone 
 out with a clear healthy light but they 
 could look very tender when their owner 
 chose. Altogether he was a good specimen 
 of the British officer who is well pleased 
 with himself, makes the best of the world, 
 and does not see the harm in a little quiet 
 flirting now and then. He was never hap- 
 pier than when he was attending to the 
 wants of some fair lady friend; and Tom- 
 lynes could not have chosen a fitter man 
 to deliver his message. Just now his sun- 
 burnt face was even more brilliant than 
 usual. But he took Mr. Venn's thrust good- 
 naturedly, and answered rather sheepishly 
 it is true, 
 
 u I must own to the vice. A man is 
 obliged to smoke in the east to keep off the 
 mosquitoes, you know, Mrs. Tredennick. 
 But it wasn't quite that I meant." 
 
 " No. You meant you liked green dresses. 
 And I did not agree with your taste."
 
 114 Like a Sister. 
 
 " Or was it blue, " asked Captain Hazeldene 
 in desperation, noticing that the lady's dress 
 was that colour and hoping to end the dis- 
 cussion by implied admiration of hers. 
 
 " Perhaps you said blue. I may have 
 made a mistake," she simpered, taking the 
 compliment quite to herself. " And I hope 
 you did; because I detest green." 
 
 "Really?" 
 
 " I would not wear it for worlds. Although, 
 of course, I could wear it. Fair people can 
 wear anything. That is why my little girl 
 looks well even in that hideous colour. As 
 for Major Tredennick's daughter, she is too 
 dark to put on anything but black. But 
 their father will have them dress alike, no 
 matter what I may say." 
 
 u But, mamma, you chose these two dresses 
 yourself in London ! " exclaimed Amy. 
 
 " Nonsense, child ! But even if I did I 
 meant them for you and myself to wear." 
 
 The visitors exchanged glances. Mrs. 
 
 Tredennick felt she had impressed them 
 
 Sufficiently for the present, and began fanning 
 
 herself vigorously, though the day was by 
 
 no means a very warm one.
 
 Like a Sister. 115 
 
 Mr. Venn profited by the lull in the conver- 
 sation. Emerging out of his dark corner, he 
 drew his chair near Kathleen, whom he had 
 been inspecting with critical eyes ever since 
 she had come in, and more particularly the 
 last few minutes. 
 
 " How do you think you will like Hong- 
 Kong, Miss Tredennick ? '" he inquired, in as 
 kind a tone as his strange deep voice was 
 capable of giving utterance to. 
 
 "Very much indeed, from what I have 
 seen. But of course I have had little oppor- 
 tunity of sight-seeing yet." 
 
 "You can have opportunity by and by; " 
 and a look of profound wisdom shone out of 
 the owl-like eyes, "because one may cover 
 every inch of the island in a few days. 
 And a few r years is a long time to go sight 
 seeing over that extent of country ! " 
 
 " Don't talk nonsense, Venn ! " exclaimed 
 Captain Hazeldene. "Miss Tredennick will 
 not have a minute to herself to go root 
 hunting because we cannot allow such a 
 thing. Unless, " after a pause, " unless under 
 an efficient escort. The Chinese are not to be 
 trusted, youknow, " he added as an after thought.
 
 116 Like a Sister. 
 
 u I never suggested such a mode of passing 
 the time," said Kathleen, fixing her clear 
 eyes upon him. " But, if I felt inclined to, 
 isn't it rather hard not to be allowed to 
 please myself?" smiling; for she was satisfied 
 with the result of her scrutiny. 
 
 u No, certainly not; under the circumstances. 
 The fact is, we can't possibly do without 
 you." 
 
 " Can't do without me ? " repeated Kathleen 
 with uplifted eye-brows thinking him never- 
 theless a very cool young man indeed. 
 
 " 0, don't be offended ! But, to tell you the 
 truth, young ladies are scarce out here. I 
 mean unmarried girls. Young married ladies 
 are plentiful enough ; for, directly a girl 
 comes out, she becomes a married woman. 
 Or, if she does not marry, she goes home 
 again in a few years." 
 
 u You see the climate is so very trying ; 
 she can stand it no longer, " growled Mr. Venn 
 in his deep voice, with his eyes as solemn 
 as ever. 
 
 X * And now, Miss Tredennick, you know why 
 we cannot do without you," said Captain 
 Hazeldene smiling. "You and your sister
 
 Like a Sister. 117 
 
 will be regular godsends to us poor male 
 creatures at the numerous balls and parties 
 which are coming off this winter. We can't 
 dance with ourselves, you know and it's 
 anything but pleasant having the wall for a 
 back-board the whole evening ! " 
 
 "But don't the married women dance?" 
 asked Kathleen surprised. 
 
 "Dance! I should think they do," replied 
 Captain Hazeldene laughing immoderately. 
 
 "The married ladies dance your head off," 
 put in Mr. Venn's sepulchral voice. 
 
 u But it isn't quite the same thing, you 
 know," said Captain Hazeldene impressively. 
 
 " Not if they dance as well as the girls?" 
 inquired Kathleen mischievously. 
 
 " Oh ! come now, Miss Tredennick ; you're 
 so very straight. We'll change the subject, " 
 said Captain Hazeldene blushing under his 
 sunburn. "Of course you are coming to the 
 ball on Friday?" 
 
 " I did not know there is to be a ball. 
 This is the first I have heard of it." 
 
 " That is strange. The invitations were 
 out a fortnight ago; yours must be waiting 
 for you somewhere."
 
 118 Like a Sister. 
 
 "But we have only just arrived." 
 
 "That makes no difference. We knew 
 you were coming. But, if your card has 
 gone astray, I shall see that you get another. " 
 
 " Please don't trouble yourself, for this looks 
 uncommonly like it," said Major Tredennick, 
 drawing a large, thin envelope from his 
 pocket, and holding it up. "I am very 
 sorry I forget to give you this, my dear," 
 he added with an apologetic look as he 
 handed it to his wife. 
 
 " Just like a man ! You pocket other 
 people's letters, and it only comes out by 
 accident that you have them in your pos- 
 session. But for Captain Hazeldene we might 
 never have known of the ball " exclaimed 
 she indignantly as she opened the envelope. 
 
 " Indeed you would have heard of it soon 
 enough from other people. The fact is, we 
 don't allow new-comers breathing time before 
 we come in shoals to call upon them, " 
 said Captain Hazeldene. 
 
 " / have lived in India " remarked Mrs. 
 V Tredennick pointedly. 
 
 " how nice ! " interrupted Amy, " I do 
 love seeing new faces. And now, mamma,
 
 Like a Sister. 119 
 
 what does the invitation say?" and she 
 looked over her mother's shoulder. u The 
 Misses Tredennick. That's all right, Kitty. 
 We're included." 
 
 " As if we would leave you out ! " ex- 
 claimed Captain Hazeldene reproachfully. 
 " Then we shall meet on Friday. And may 
 I ask for the pleasure of a dance?" 
 
 " Not so fast, Captain Hazeldene, " ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Tredennick shrilly. "It is one 
 thing to receive an invitation, and quite 
 another to accept it." 
 
 u Oh ! Mrs. Tredennick you could not be 
 so hard-hearted as to refuse ! " 
 
 " That depends very much on circum- 
 stances. " 
 
 " The circumstances are if our dresses 
 should be too badly crushed," exclaimed 
 Amy audaciously. u But you must let us go, 
 mamma. Father, do take our part, like 
 a dear." 
 
 " Would you like to go, Kathleen ? " asked 
 Major Tredennick. 
 
 " Indeed I should, " cried the girl, with 
 sparkling eyes, " you know I have never 
 been to a dance in my life."
 
 120 Like a Sister. 
 
 u Then I think we can manage the dresses, " 
 decidedly. 
 
 u So the matter is satisfactorily arranged, " 
 remarked Mr. Venn, with the faintest gleam 
 of interest in his peculiar eyes, which had 
 been fixed on Kathleen since she last spoke. 
 u But I do not intend to ask you for a dance, 
 Miss Tredennick. Because, in the first 
 place, I never dance now; and, even if I 
 did, I should not dream of following the 
 general example of first callers in this 
 colony who impose upon the good-nature of 
 ladies newly arrived, and so put you to the 
 annoyance of refusing me." 
 
 Kathleen blushed crimson. 
 
 * I certainly do not intend to give dances 
 beforehand. But why did you think I should 
 refuse you?" she asked in perplexity. 
 
 " You will be able to answer that question 
 yourself when you have been to a ball -r- next 
 time I see you." 
 
 u But I want you to tell me now. " 
 
 " Never mind him, Miss Tredennick. He 
 is always trying to be mysterious. But 
 what he means is, that you will have an 
 endless choice of partners."
 
 Like a Sister. 121 
 
 u And so get spoilt. Well, I may. But 
 I think I should choose my partners in 
 any case," said Kathleen smiling. 
 
 Mr. Venn evidently took her pleasant tone 
 for encouragement, for his eyes grew rounder 
 and larger than ever, as, with a certain 
 amount of hesitation in his voice which 
 made it sound like rumbles of distant thunder 
 he asked as if he were addressing the 
 company in general for a different kind 
 of favour. 
 
 u But if Miss Tredennick would do me 
 the honour of allowing me to escort her 
 to the top of the staircase, as far as the 
 ball-room door I should esteem it a great 
 condescension and a pleasure. I do not 
 want a promise beforehand. I shall be on 
 the spot in good time." 
 
 " My daughter will be very pleased, I am 
 sure," said Major Tredennick. 
 
 "You shall know on Friday," replied 
 Kathleen pleasantly, feeling she was called 
 upon to express herself so far. 
 
 " Thank you. But I shall not see you in 
 the meantime, as I have to go to Canton 
 for a few days. But I hope you will be in
 
 122 Like a Sister. 
 
 possession of a suitable house before long." 
 
 " Indeed so do I," exclaimed Major Tre- 
 dennick fervently. 
 
 " Don't forget I am to come to-morrow, 
 Major," said Captain Hazeldene. "And, as I 
 said before, Mrs. Tredennick, if there is 
 anything I can do for you, I shall only be 
 too happy. But I'm afraid you'll think we 
 have paid an unconsciously long visitation. 
 I really did not imagine it was so late close 
 upon tiffin time, " and he looked at the girls 
 as if he wished, them to understand that 
 they were the cause of his delinquency. 
 
 "Good-bye," growled Mr. Venn briefly, 
 shaking hands all round. 
 
 Til say au revoir," exclaimed the other, 
 lingering in the hope of an invitation to 
 lunch, u I can have a look round this after- 
 noon, Major, to see if there are any more 
 decent houses to let; and will drop in in 
 the evening to tell you the results of my 
 search. There's no good in you having all 
 the trouble of ' chairing ' it all over the place 
 atone to-day when I can do it for you with 
 pleasure." 
 
 Immediately the door closed upon them
 
 Like a Sister. 123 
 
 Mrs. Tredennick followed an invariable habit 
 of hers by taking up their cards to see if 
 they could throw any light on the social 
 status of her visitors. 
 
 " Ah ! " she exclaimed after a lengthened 
 survey, " Captain Hazeldene, Royal Engineers, 
 Junior United Service Club. That speaks for 
 itself. But what a pity these soldiers are 
 nearly all paupers! He is a very nice boy 
 though; and so artistic. Fancy taking all 
 that trouble about strangers, Richard ! People 
 are kind all the world over except in 
 England." 
 
 "Is there such a thing in the world as 
 disinterested kindness, I wonder! " replied her 
 husband with a laugh in his eyes. u What do 
 you think about Captain Hazeldene, Kathleen?" 
 
 "He seems pleasant and chatty. But I 
 thought him rather conceited, and is he 
 not a trifle officious ? Or is it only my ignor- 
 ance of the ways of the world?" 
 
 "Conceited! Yes, he is that, no doubt. 
 But after all it is a very harmless trait in 
 a young man's character, when it does not 
 degenerate into puppyism. Conceit is infi- 
 nitely better than slovenliness in a young
 
 124 Like a Sister. 
 
 soldier. I know the type; they are all 
 much the same cut in dress and manners, 
 but good fellows for all that and good 
 officers too. Hazeldene does not mean to be 
 officious ; it is only his way of doing a thing 
 thoroughly particularly when it is a pleasant 
 occupation ! " 
 
 " The other man is no doubt more your 
 style, Kathleen, " said Mrs. Tredennick indig- 
 nantly. u Mr. Venn ! " looking at the card, 
 " simply that. He might be any one and is 
 probably no one. Why do that kind of 
 people presume to call on us ? " 
 
 "At any rate he is worth half a million, 
 well invested ; so I suppose it does not much 
 matter to you what he was originally." 
 
 "It is true?" asked Mrs. Tredennick, all 
 excitement. " 
 
 "I have it from Tomlynes, who knows 
 about the man. He told me we might pro- 
 bably meet him here." 
 
 " A million of money ! You are a lucky 
 girl, Kitty, " cried Amy coming over in haste 
 frdSQ the window where she had been watch- 
 ing the retreating forms of the visitors. " But 
 no, dear, you're too good for that. I wouldn't
 
 Like a Sister. 125 
 
 give my sister to him; not even if he had 
 twenty millions." 
 
 " How can you even in fun ? " exclaimed 
 Kathleen, to whom this new form of 
 chaff was highly disagreeable. And she quietly 
 resumed the letter to Mademoiselle Tirer 
 which had to be dispatched by that mail. 
 
 "Don't talk nonsense, Amy," said her 
 mother severely. * Putting such silly notions 
 into Kathleen's head! Anybody could see 
 with half an eye that it is you Mr. Venn 
 admires, because he never once opened his 
 lips to you. That is a sure sign. You have 
 heard of the 'silent stage' in court ahem! 
 admiration. Mr. Venn is a man of prompt- 
 ness. He has passed the other stages by 
 leaps and bounds, and has reached this 
 reliable one at the first interview. And I 
 must have you treat him with every consi- 
 deration. Never mind his appearance. Besides 
 it is really very interesting, and will be 
 even more so when he gets rid of that 
 slight cold. Half a million, Amy! Think of 
 what that means. Half a million ! " and Mrs. 
 Tredennick rolled the words round her 
 tongue as if they were something quite
 
 126 Like a Sister. 
 
 too dainty to be swallowed all at once. 
 
 " I will think of it, I assure you, mamma ; 
 and do more than think of it, if it is any 
 use. Which is a very safe promise one I 
 shall have no occasion to break," laughed 
 Amy. 
 
 " I wish you would make her see it in 
 a more serious light, Richard. Suppose we 
 give a little dinner party and ask Mr. 
 Venn/ 
 
 " That would be taking the bull by the 
 horns, my dear ! " 
 
 * Do have him to dinner ! " pleaded Amy, 
 "and I'll make out the menu for you. Let 
 me see. We shall have oysters, white soup, 
 cod fish, veal fillets, and stewed owls. I 
 must run away for some cards to write it 
 down upon," and she flew past her mother 
 and out of the room.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE night of the ball, so looked forward 
 to by Kathleen and Amy, came at last. 
 They were still in the hotel; for the house 
 thought suitable by Captain Hazeldene was 
 found to be just taken when they went to 
 inspect it ; and, though the party had viewed 
 the few available ones in the meantime, not 
 one could be found that answered the neces- 
 sary requirements of the family. They were 
 either too small, or too large; too high up 
 the hill, or too low down ; or else they had 
 only just been built, and the paint was not 
 yet dry even in that hot climate, or they 
 were so old that the white ants had riddled 
 the timbers, and there was a fear of them 
 dropping to pieces over one's head. Then 
 
 127
 
 128 Like a Sister. 
 
 Mrs. Tredennick strongly objected to a house 
 comprising part of a terrace; and her hus- 
 band would not think of living in one which, 
 even although it was detached, had not 
 available space for a garden. Captain Hazel- 
 dene made himself generally useful on these 
 occasions, and was quite in his element as 
 house-hunter in chief, taking as much pains 
 and trouble as if he were the one to be 
 suited with the intention of settling down 
 for life. But he could see that the new- 
 comers were hankering after the impossible; 
 and that they would be doomed to live on 
 at the Hotel for an indefinite period if they 
 did not take what they could get. 
 
 u It's different at home and in India where 
 there is any amount of land, " he would say 
 languidly. " But, in this little spot of an 
 island where they build houses almost on 
 top of each other, and use up every avail- 
 able inch of ground to run them up on, you 
 must put up with close quarters. However, 
 we'll have another look to-morrow, and see 
 rN you can't find something more to your 
 mind, Major. " And the 'other look round ' 
 would be extended until next day much to
 
 Like a Sister. 129 
 
 the satisfaction of that indefatigable ladies' man. 
 
 These rambling expeditions caused the 
 Tredennicks to miss the numerous callers 
 who already wished to make the acquaint- 
 ance of the new-comers; and on Friday 
 night they found themselves almost as much 
 strangers in the place as they had been a 
 few mornings ago. 
 
 Amy was too much excited by the thoughts 
 of the ball to do justice to her dinner. 
 Immediately she had scrambled through it 
 in some sort of fashion, she rushed off to 
 change her V-cut dinner dress for all the 
 glory of a debutante's shimmering robes. 
 
 " You had better go too, Kathleen, " said 
 
 Mrs. Tredennick. K I dare say it will take a long 
 
 time to get your hair into some sort of order, " 
 
 an unjust remark for her stepdaughter's 
 
 chevelure was already most tastefully arranged. 
 
 " She is all right, Lucy," argued Major 
 Tredennick with a man's love of approba- 
 tion when he knows that the effect is good, 
 yet cannot describe it in words. 
 
 a Wait for me, Amy, " said Kathleen rising. 
 And the two girls went to their dressing- 
 room arm-in-arm. 
 
 VOL. I. 9
 
 130 Like a Sister. 
 
 " Kitty ! How do you feel ? " exclaimed 
 Amy, * I feel simply quaking just at present. " 
 
 * I'm afraid I do a little too, " with a 
 rather sickly attempt at a smile, as the 
 thought of Ray Cliiford crossed her mind. 
 
 u Thank goodness for that ! " was Amy's 
 irreverent rejoinder, "it's a positive relief 
 to know that there is someone who under- 
 stands my sensations from experience. But 
 you, Kitty! You, of all people in the world. 
 And I used to look up to you so, as being 
 above all such weaknesses! " 
 
 " I am only human, like everybody else, " 
 said Kathleen laughing. " But, " she added 
 in an altered tone, and with a proud move- 
 ment of her queenly head, " I do not intend 
 anything to come between me and enjoy- 
 ment to-night. " 
 
 " No ; why should you ? " surprised. ft The 
 quakes don't last long with strong-minded 
 people. And it will not be my fault if I 
 don't have a splendid time too." 
 
 " Now come and dress, or we shall be late. " 
 N " But I'm going to talk as well, my dear, " 
 and Amy kept her word and a continual 
 chatter all the time.
 
 Like a Sister. 131 
 
 u How do I look, Norah ? * she asked 
 that hand-maiden, when everything was 
 complete. 
 
 u Lord love you, miss ! You're just like 
 an angel of light barrin' the wings! " 
 
 "And isn't Miss Kathleen lovely?" 
 
 "Well, miss," reflectively. * Her hair is so 
 much darker. I couldn't in truth compare 
 her to a heavenly bein'. But she might have 
 her phottygraph took for an angel of dark- 
 ness meaning no oifence, miss; for they're 
 both beautiful, only different types of beauty, 
 as Father Galagher says." 
 
 " dear ! " laughed Amy, u you've missed 
 something, Kitty." 
 
 "What?" exclaimed she, from the other 
 end of the room, where she had gone to 
 fetch her fan. 
 
 "Norah declares that you only want a 
 tail and a cloven foot to convert you into 
 an imp." 
 
 * That I didn't, Miss Amy, beggin' yer 
 pardon ! " cried Norah, her indignation getting 
 the better of the newly-veneered brogue. 
 u For there's a quare difference, I can tell 
 ye, between a young divil an' an angel of
 
 132 Like a Sister. 
 
 darkness ! An' I couldn't compare Miss Kath- 
 leen to anything else an' do her justice; 
 for she's as beautiful as an angel, an' has 
 dark hair." 
 
 "Never mind, Norah. I know what you 
 mean," said Kathleen kindly. 
 
 " Now for a last look ! " exclaimed Amy, 
 taking her sister's hand and leading her to 
 the large, full-length mirror. 
 
 The reflection would have satisfied the 
 most exacting. There stood the girls dressed 
 exactly alike in soft, white, flowing draperies 
 as fine and silky as a spider's web, and 
 relieved only by a spray of shamrocks, so 
 carefully imitated as to be perfectly true to 
 nature, on the bodice. They were guiltless 
 of ornament and needed none to enhance 
 the beauty of round white arms and shapely 
 throats. But the resemblance extended only 
 to dress. The elder girl's sweet, pure, yet 
 lofty expression and the poise of her dainty 
 little head was a striking contrast to her 
 sister's fair, bright, sparkling face, and laugh- 
 ing eyes. 
 
 "Ah!" said Amy, with a gasp of satis- 
 faction, "neither of us is plain anyhow.
 
 Like a Sister. 133 
 
 But we are very different, you and I. No 
 one could possibly take us for sisters. Who- 
 ever admires you will not admire me, and 
 vice versa. But we must be content with 
 that, I suppose." 
 
 " Let us hope the right person will admire 
 the right one," replied Kathleen to humour 
 her, and smiling at the bright reflection in 
 the glass. 
 
 " Of course they must. But how is it, 
 Kitty, that you seem to tower above me? 
 You are really only about three inches 
 taller." 
 
 "I suppose it is because my hair is piled 
 on the top of my head as well as behind I 
 have such a quantity. That makes a great 
 difference as to height, you know, " answered 
 Kathleen simply. 
 
 " Perhaps so; for I have next to none," 
 rumpling the short golden curls. "But I 
 don't think it's that after all. And how 
 white your shoulders are! I used to think 
 mine white ; but yours are just like marble. " 
 
 " Come away, you silly child ! you're mak- 
 ing me quite vain," said Kathleen laughing 
 as she tried to draw her away from the glass.
 
 134 Like a Sister. 
 
 u I don't believe you would care a bit if 
 you were intensely ugly ! " cried Amy indig- 
 nantly, moving back again. 
 
 "Yes, yes, I do care, indeed I care! 
 Amy! tell me I am pretty," exclaimed 
 Kathleen, with such an intensity of longing 
 in her voice that it startled the younger girl. 
 
 "My dear! Pretty is the word which 
 applies to me; you are just lovely," Amy 
 hastened to assure her, magnanimously, though 
 not without a certain perplexity in her mind 
 caused by the strange tone of her usually 
 quiet, self-possessed sister. 
 
 " Thank God ! " cried Kathleen, clasping 
 her hands hysterically. "I must look well 
 to-night." 
 
 Amy stood speechless for a moment, not 
 knowing how to deal with this hitherto 
 undeveloped phase of character. But Kath- 
 leen could not fail to notice the wondering 
 looks cast at her reflection in the glass ; 
 and, with a deep blush, she exclaimed, 
 
 * How foolish I am ! But I'm really so 
 
 Excited that I did not quite know what I 
 
 was saying. After all, Amy, I suppose it's 
 
 natural to try and look well at one's first ball. "
 
 Like a Sister. 135 
 
 "I'm very glad to have found out that 
 you are just as vain as I am. It's another 
 bond between us. Now I can look in the 
 glass to my heart's content and not be afraid 
 of your reproving eyes, as I used to be on 
 board ship. But I suppose every woman is 
 vain really. Only some of them don't show 
 it, like you, Kitty; and some of them do, 
 like poor, little, frivolous me." 
 
 "I love beauty," was the fervent answer. 
 * And beauty is a great blessing to a woman 
 or a great curse. Somehow, I have a 
 presentiment that to-night will determine 
 which it is to be to us. Don't laugh at me, 
 Amy." 
 
 "I am not laughing, dear. Only I am 
 glad Norah has gone out of the room, or 
 she would insist on giving us a description 
 of the coming events which have cast their 
 shadow before in her experience. That old 
 Castle of yours has put strange ideas into 
 your head; and the sooner a good round of 
 gaiety puts them out all the better." 
 
 * You are quite right, Amy. We shall see 
 what a change this new life effects in your 
 gloomy old sister. Now, are you ready to
 
 136 Like a Sister. 
 
 come?" And, as they left the room Kath- 
 leen felt that the change must soon be 
 established once for all, but whether it was 
 to make her brighter and happier was a 
 question. 
 
 When the girls entered the sitting-room 
 they found their elders there before them. 
 Mrs. Tredennick was resplendent in rose- 
 pink brocade and her ample bosom swelled 
 with pride as her eyes rested on the bright 
 face and fairy figure of her daughter. Then 
 she glanced at Kathleen, and a pang of 
 envy shot through her heart as she noted 
 how beautiful and high-bred looking the 
 girl was. 
 
 "What do you think of us, mamma?" 
 asked Amy, as she pirouetted round and 
 round for inspection. 
 
 * You are simply beautiful, my love!" 
 with a burst of affection. a And indeed 
 Kathleen looks very nice too," she added 
 grudgingly. 
 
 "And what is your opinion, father?" 
 akked Kathleen, noticing that he was gazing 
 at her as if the sight recalled something 
 pleasant, and yet sad.
 
 Like a Sister. 137 
 
 u Oh ! * he said, rousing himself with an 
 effort, " You'll do ! " bringing such a tone of 
 satisfaction into the two last simple words 
 that they conveyed more than the most honeyed 
 expression of flattery could have done. 
 
 Kathleen's eyes sparkled with pleasure, and 
 Amy stopped in her dancing, exclaiming, "You 
 shall have the honour of the first waltz 
 with me for that nice little speech though 
 it might have been better expressed, Papsy 
 dear!" 
 
 "I am glad to see you are not wearing 
 necklaces; " said Major Tredennick, noticing 
 the interruption only by a smile, "young 
 girls are better without them. In my opinion 
 it is painting the lily. Though you will think 
 me very inconsistent when I give you these, 
 with my love, in memory of your first ball, " 
 and he took two bracelets out of their cases 
 as he spoke. " Sapphires, to match your 
 eyes, Kathleen," clasping hers on her arm. 
 u And I chose turquoises for you, Amy, 
 because yours are just that colour." 
 
 " How lovely it is ! And how good of you, 
 father," exclaimed Kathleen, kissing him 
 tenderly.
 
 138 Like a Sister. 
 
 " Oh ! father, if this is being inconsistent, 
 I only hope you will be so always," cried Amy, 
 with no eyes for anything but the jewelled 
 hoop. "Norah compared us to angels a few 
 minutes ago; and what would she say if she 
 saw us now!" 
 
 "To angels, did she? Well! aU I hope 
 is that the angels may not have their wings 
 singed. " 
 
 "No fear of mine," laughed Amy, "They 
 flutter about too much to be caught in any fire. " 
 
 " Nor mine either, " repeated Kathleen, 
 more gravely. And she knew the cause. 
 For she felt that hers had been singed already. 
 
 A few minutes afterwards the boy an- 
 nounced the chairs outside. So the ladies put 
 on their mantles, and went downstairs in 
 order to enter the wheelless vehicles waiting 
 for them. 
 
 When they had gone about half way to 
 their destination whom should they see 
 coming at a rapid rate toward them in his 
 chair but Captain Hazeldene. 
 ^"1 was just coming to fetch you," he 
 said in the unceremonious tone which showed 
 they had met before that day, after he had
 
 Like a Sister. 139 
 
 called to his coolies to turn round and had 
 come alongside between Major Tredennick 
 and Kathleen. a I have been watching for 
 you at the door for the last twenty minutes. 
 Oh no, Miss Tredennick, it wasn't at all 
 hard lines. I made myself generally useful. 
 There were plenty of ladies to help out of 
 their chairs. But when the extra and the 
 first dance were over, and the second nearly 
 through I thought it was time to go and 
 see what had become of you all." 
 
 * They must have commenced earlier than 
 you thought they would to-night;" said 
 Major Tredenm'ck, " I remember you said 
 three quarters of an hour or so later than 
 the time mentioned in the invitation would 
 be soon enough for us to arrive at one of 
 these large balls." 
 
 " Yes, I did. But the governor has put 
 in an appearance early to-night. So this 
 one was opened in good time, much to the 
 delight of us dancing people who have 
 turned up early too. Here we are at last ! " 
 as they came in sight of the City Hall. 
 
 It was fully ten minutes, however, Before 
 they got inside the building; for it was
 
 140 Like a Sister. 
 
 quite impossible to pass quickly through the 
 mass of chairs that thronged the open space 
 before the entrance; though Captain Hazel- 
 dene, who had alighted, pushed the drowsy 
 coolies hither and thither with an energy 
 that was worthy of a better cause. They 
 held their ground with true Chinese stolidness, 
 and would not budge an inch unless actually 
 obliged to which meant that more than 
 one of them had to be rudely awakened 
 from celestial slumbers that he was already 
 indulging in, in the ease and comfort of the 
 chair lately occupied by his mistress. 
 
 " It seems to me we are about the last 
 arrivals, judging by that crowd of empty 
 chairs. I never saw the beggars so hard 
 to move. They evidently thought they had 
 the place to themselves for the next few 
 hours," remarked Captain Hazeldene, as 
 they stood in the blaze of light inside. 
 * But here's one person who has not given 
 you up, I see, Miss Tredennick," as Mr. 
 Venn came forward with a solemn smile of 
 welcome in his owl-like eyes. 
 
 "I'm afraid we are very late," said 
 Kathleen to him.
 
 Like a Sister. 141 
 
 " You are, rather. But it is the proper 
 thing to make one's first appearance at a 
 place a little late is it not?" he growled. 
 
 " I don't understand you," replied Kathleen 
 haughtily. 
 
 " Never mind ; I do not want you to 
 understand me," he said kindly. "But bet- 
 ter late than never, you know." 
 
 Kathleen was silent, previous experience 
 having taught her that, if she said anything, 
 Mr. Venn might construe it into a desire 
 for further acquaintance on her part, to 
 humour which on the present occasion would 
 undoubtedly mean the revoking of his past 
 resolve not to ask her to dance. And, as 
 it was not her intention to have the option 
 of either refusing or accepting that honour, 
 she merely took the arm he held out, and 
 they ascended the staircase together. 
 
 But she need not have feared such a 
 contingency. Mr. Venn was quite content 
 with having accomplished so much in so 
 short a time; and did not intend to inflict 
 himself further on a young lady who would, 
 no doubt, choose her partners from among 
 the gay and handsome, and feel bored if
 
 142 Like a Sister. 
 
 not actually angry were a middle-aged fogey, 
 whom she scarcely knew, to attempt to 
 monopolize her. So thinking, he left Kathleen 
 at the dressing-room door, and waited in 
 the corridor with Major Tredennick and 
 Captain Hazeldene until the ladies made 
 their appearance again. 
 
 " Ready at last, Miss Amy ! " exclaimed 
 Captain Hazeldene who was taking charge 
 of her. u What a time you ladies do take 
 to remove a wrap, to be sure ! Now I have 
 to introduce all the ' nicest, handsomest men' 
 in the room to you, have I not ? " 
 
 "Not forgetting the best dancers. But 
 mind, my partiality is for a red coat provided 
 he doesn't lisp too much. I don't mind the 
 Haw-haws, or cavalry swagger. And I have 
 no great objection to the black coats, when 
 they don't talk shop." 
 
 "You're not like a young ahem! friend 
 of mine, who says she strongly objects to 
 dance with clerks." 
 
 " I wouldn't be quite such a goose. But 
 I Stem to know soldiers better than civilians, 
 or naval officers. Besides, their uniform is 
 a far nicer set off to my white dress than
 
 Like a Sister. 143 
 
 funeral black and white, or blue and gold." 
 * Well, upon my word, Miss Tredennick ! 
 You cut us up pretty rough all round. To 
 be preferred simply because one's clothes 
 are a better foil to your fairy-like garments 
 is rather hard lines on a fellow now isn't 
 it? But, for all that, I'm so willing to 
 accommodate you that I would undergo the 
 punishment of another dance with you. 
 May I? " 
 
 "No, no," replied Amy quickly, "I don't 
 intend to give two dances to anyone. 
 Though, of course, you should get them if 
 anybody did, as I have known you longest." 
 " Thank you. I suppose I must be con- 
 tent then one has to be with small mercies 
 from your sex, in this colony! But you 
 are beginning the tyranny early; we gene- 
 rally allow a girl a month to get into the 
 full swing of these pernicious habits. That 
 is, a debutante the seasoned ones find out 
 by instinct, in the first five minutes, that 
 men are at a discount here. Now my work 
 is going to begin in earnest! Do you see 
 that crowd of men thronging the doorway? 
 They are all looking our way you are new
 
 144 Like a Sister. 
 
 and will want me to intodruce them to you. 
 But it won't do to be good-natured. We 
 must go straight through to the ball-room." 
 
 " We can't pass through," whispered Amy, 
 "they are closing all round us. How is it 
 there are so many standing out when the 
 band is playing that lovely waltz? Are 
 the girls dancing by themselves? " 
 
 u No, indeed ! " laughed Captain Hazeldene. 
 u You'll see that for yourself when we get 
 inside. Come along! Try and look forbid- 
 ding if you possibly can! and in a des- 
 perate hurry. I don't want you to get your 
 programme filled here. See, your father and 
 mother are ahead. And Venn has piloted 
 your sister safely through. The men must 
 take the trouble of following you to the 
 ball-room if they want an introduction. 
 Besides, you will find plenty inside. Now, 
 do you see anyone you would like particu- 
 larly to know ? " 
 
 "Not particularly," replied Amy, as they 
 entered the ball-room and she had time to 
 tafce in the numerous army of male crea- 
 tures who were standing round the room. 
 six deep, watching the dancers. "Though
 
 Like a Sister. 145 
 
 most of them seem nice. But stay! Did 
 you see that very handsome civilian at the 
 door; the one scribbling on his programme? 
 I think I would like to know him pro- 
 vided he asks to be introduced, of course. 
 See, he is looking our way now ! " 
 
 u Oh ! that man, " replied Hazeldene coldly, 
 " I'm afraid I can't oblige you, Miss Tre- 
 dennick. The fact is, I don't know him." 
 
 "I thought everybody knew everybody 
 else here," said Amy, surprised. 
 
 " So we do with very few exceptions. 
 But this man is a stranger, newly arrived. 
 He is an American, or something of that 
 sort, I believe, who is globe-trotting. Not 
 that there's anything against him that I 
 know of." 
 
 * He is the handsomest man I ever saw, " 
 said Amy dreamily. 
 
 " Really ! " amused. 8 I suppose a person 
 who admires that style of beauty would 
 call him handsome. And he certainly is a fine- 
 looking big animal." 
 
 "Animal! How can you, Captain Hazel- 
 dene! I really never knew that men talk 
 so nastily of each other," replied Amy indig- 
 
 vor. i. 10
 
 146 Like a Sister. 
 
 nantly, feeling in her own mind that they 
 were quite as bad, if not worse, than the 
 ladies in her small experience who had 
 employed themselves by tearing to pieces 
 their absent friends over afternoon-tea in her 
 mother's Indian drawing-room. 
 
 " Never mind ! You'll know this Adonis- 
 does that please you better, Miss Treden- 
 nick? without my help, it seems; for there 
 he is talking to Venn, in the ante-room : 
 and it's evidently about you, to judge by 
 his looks. How do I know it's Mr. Venn? 
 Why, I just caught a glimpse of one side 
 of his head for a moment. Can't see him 
 now ; the crowd has closed up. But there's 
 no mistaking the other man. It's a grand 
 thing to be tall out of the common some- 
 times. On these occasions I often wish I 
 could extend like a telescope, and shut my- 
 self up again, once my partner was found 
 especially if she were a little woman!" 
 
 " Take me to mamma, please, * said Amy brief- 
 ly. And they crossed the room to where Mrs. 
 Tredennick was standing with Kathleen, who 
 was busy filling her programme, surrounded 
 by a small crowd of red, blue, and black coats.
 
 Like a Sister. 147 
 
 The gentleman, about whose appearance 
 Amy had well nigh quarrelled with Captain 
 Hazeldene, was following them into the ball- 
 room, in the hopes of finding someone able 
 to introduce him to the former. He seemed 
 delighted to come across Mr. Venn on the 
 way, who had been dispatched by Mrs. Tre- 
 dennick from Kathleen's side in search of a 
 missing lace handkerchief. 
 
 * I say, Venn ! " he exclaimed, u introduce 
 me to those two lovely girls you have just 
 come in with, like a good fellow." 
 
 Mr. Venn looked him full in the face, 
 curiously, critically. The application evi- 
 dently took him by surprise. 
 
 u I think not, Mr. Castleton, " he replied, 
 in his strange, deep voice. 
 
 "Why not, pray? n demanded Castleton, 
 his colour rising. 
 
 "You know the reason." 
 
 u There's no reason why a man should be 
 refused an ordinary civility," he retorted. 
 
 " Very well, then. I shall tell you in 
 plain words, if you care to have it pro- 
 claimed in a public place like this," impres- 
 sively.
 
 148 Like a Sister. 
 
 "Don't be a fool!" exclaimed Castleton, 
 in airy tones. "But I can do without your 
 valuable assistance. There's the tall one 
 dancing with Grimswaide." 
 
 " One word before you go," said Mr. Venn, 
 in a low, impressive voice. * I cannot pre- 
 vent you being introduced, and I cannot 
 prevent you dancing with those young girls. 
 But if I see or hear of you practising any 
 of your infernal fascinations on either of 
 them, I shall blow your brains out upon my 
 soul, I shall!" and his eyes looked strange 
 and solemn, as if he were signing a death- 
 warrant. 
 
 " Make your mind easy. These half- 
 fledged flappers shall not have their breast 
 down ruffled! You might know by this 
 time that I don't go in for that sort of 
 game," replied Castleton with a rather ner- 
 vous attempt at a laugh. And he went 
 into the ball-room, feeling very uncomfort- 
 able; but exceedingly thankful as well that 
 there had been no one within ear-shot, 
 ^except the Chinese waiters behind the re- 
 freshment bar. All the same he was deter- 
 mined to brazen it out.
 
 Like a Sister. 149 
 
 A few minutes later Mr. Venn distin- 
 guished his tall figure in the midst of the dan- 
 cers, with Kathleen for his partner; and he 
 sighed to think how much mere animal 
 beauty weighs in a man's favour. 
 
 " I was so sorry to find you out when 
 1 called yesterday," said Castleton to her, 
 by way of a feeler. 
 
 " We have been most unfortunate not 
 meeting anyone. But the whole of our 
 afternoons have been taken up with house- 
 hunting expeditions, in company with Cap- 
 tain Hazeldene," replied Kathleen, who had 
 not the faintest recollection of having heard 
 his card enlarged upon when they reached 
 the hotel just before dinner. 
 
 "I don't know the gentleman. He is an 
 old friend of yours, I suppose." 
 
 * Well, no. We only met him the morning 
 we came. But he has been very kind to 
 us ever since. My father knew his people 
 in India once, and we have mutual friends 
 at Singapore." 
 
 u You will not find people so stiff here 
 as they are in England, where it takes 
 months to become acquainted. There is
 
 150 Like a Sister. 
 
 something of the American easy good-fel- 
 lowship in the far East." 
 
 " My partner in the last dance told me that 
 they have two sets of manners, one for England, 
 the other for Hong-Kong, which they assume 
 according to the place of residence; the 
 same people being stiff or free-and-easy as 
 they think suits the climate. But I cannot 
 quite credit that statement, though I have 
 lived all my life in Ireland and am not well 
 able to judge. Only I do not think people 
 would change their natural manner, what- 
 ever that might be, just to please society." 
 
 * Oh ! would they not ! I'm afraid your 
 ideas are lofty ones, Miss Tredennick. 
 People in society can change their manners 
 as often as their clothes. Except in Amer- 
 ica perhaps there they do not, as a rule, 
 take the trouble." 
 
 " Are you an American, Mr. Castleton?" 
 asked Kathleen smiling. 
 
 "I don't know exactly what I should call 
 myself. My mother was a Greek, my father 
 ^n Englishman, and I was born in New York. 
 But I have a right to the title Cosmopoli- 
 tan if anyone has, for I have seen every-
 
 Like a Sister. 151 
 
 thing that is worth seeing in Europe, Asia 
 and America." 
 
 " Yet you find this little place interesting 
 after all?" 
 
 11 1 am only paying a flying visit at pre- 
 sent. I may be off to-morrow, or the next 
 day just as the mood takes me," answered 
 Castleton carelessly, though he had a decided 
 objection to be calmly catechised by this 
 beautiful, self-possessed girl, whose luminous 
 eyes should have looked into his own with 
 a different expression from mere calm polite- 
 ness to please him altogether. " But it 
 depends very much on circumstances whether 
 I go so soon or not," he added. 
 
 " Yes, I suppose so. " 
 
 Castleton was silent for a moment. 
 
 " Hang it all ! " was his mental ejacula- 
 tion, "has the girl no idea she is so hand- 
 some? Or is it possible she is not imbued 
 with the first principles of coquetry to 
 make so little use of her opportunities? Ah! 
 this is the last bar, I am sorry to say," 
 he said aloud, as the music began to die 
 away. "But I have the next dance with 
 you, I hope? *
 
 152 Like a Sister. 
 
 u No ; we had only this one, " replied 
 Kathleen, consulting her programme, which 
 was covered with almost unintelligible hiero- 
 glyphics after the manner of its kind. 
 
 u It must be your sister's then, " remem- 
 bering that it was in Amy's he had coolly 
 filled up the three empty spaces when she 
 had tendered it for the insertion of his name 
 in one. 
 
 "There she is in front," said Kathleen, 
 as Amy appeared on the arm of a very 
 young subaltern who was listening to her 
 chatter with an air of rapt attention. " Let 
 us come and sit beside them; I see two 
 vacant chairs." 
 
 So they passed into the veranda at the 
 back of the ball-room, where the seats were 
 arranged in a long line ; and Castleton, nothing 
 loth, took his place between the two sisters. 
 
 * Kitty! I am enjoying myself," ex- 
 claimed Amy. 
 
 " That's right, dear. I have seen you 
 flitting about several times, and you looked 
 ^ery happy." 
 
 "The next is our dance, don't forget," 
 said Castleton, bending over Amy. "You
 
 Like a Sister. 153 
 
 see I do not intend anyone else to run 
 away with you." 
 
 The subaltern scowled heavily. He had 
 never meant his partner to be monopolized 
 by a civilian. 
 
 a I am so hot, " said Amy, fanning her- 
 self vigorously, as she noted his displeasure. 
 
 "Allow me to fan you," cried the sub- 
 altern springing forward, and getting out 
 the words before his enemy could have a 
 chance of speaking. 
 
 " There is something else I would much 
 rather you did for me," pleaded Amy with 
 her sweetest smile. 
 
 The subaltern sprang to attention once 
 more. 
 
 " Do tell me what it is ? " in a voice 
 which implied his determination to go through 
 fire and water for her. 
 
 " Only to get me an ice," languidly. 
 
 " What a brick she is ! I should never 
 have had the cleverness to find out such 
 a way of getting rid of that self-opinionated 
 magpie," were his happy thoughts. "How 
 could I have been so forgetful? Do for- 
 give me, Miss Tredennick. Are you ready
 
 154 Like a Sister. 
 
 now? 9 he exclaimed, rising, and holding 
 out his arm in readiness for her. 
 
 "Oh! /am not going," said Amy in a 
 tone of well-assumed surprise. "You surely 
 could not expect me to walk all that way 
 just for an ice! " 
 
 There was nothing for the unfortunate 
 young man but to depart alone and fetch 
 it to her, leaving the enemy in full posses- 
 sion; which last he did with a very bad 
 grace, though he tried hard not to let his 
 disappointment appear too plainly on his 
 boyish countenance. 
 
 u How could you, Amy ! " said Kathleen 
 reproachfully, as they saw him disappearing 
 in the distance. 
 
 " I am quite too comfortable beside you 
 to move for anything. Besides, what are 
 boys for but to fetch and carry? as I 
 heard a lady remark just now," replied 
 Amy grandly. 
 
 "Are you sure she didn't mean the Chi- 
 nese boys, Miss Tredennick?" asked Castle- 
 t^>n smiling to himself. 
 
 "I I think not," replied Amy, rather 
 confused. " But, in any case, / do not
 
 Like a Sister. 155 
 
 refer to the servants," rallying her forces. 
 
 "You have certainly made good use of 
 your time, to have found out so much about 
 boys in half an hour ! " said Castleton admir- 
 ingly. u Now here's your partner appearing 
 with the ice. He has not lost time, I must say. " 
 
 " thank you ! * said Amy, effusively, 
 when he had come up and handed it to her, 
 u It was very good of you to take so much 
 trouble for me, " and she smiled bewitchingly 
 on the poor young man. "But don't you 
 think it's a little late now to eat an ice- 
 cream, for the Lancers are already forming. 
 Would you mind taking it back again? There 
 is nowhere to leave it here except on a 
 chair; and I should be very sorry to have 
 any lady's dress spoilt through me," she 
 added with provoking coolness. 
 
 The subaltern was speechless. The 
 words were too polite for it to be pos- 
 sible to take offence at them ; and her smile 
 would have atoned for almost anything in 
 his eyes. Still he had a sore feeling that 
 this broad-shouldered man beside her was 
 preferred before him. And he was a civi- 
 lian; that was the hardest part of it!
 
 156 Like a Sister. 
 
 Kathleen's partner at this moment spied 
 her, and carried her off to make up a set 
 of Lancers. The subaltern also departed 
 with a very crestfallen air. Castleton and 
 Amy were left alone in the veranda. 
 
 " I never dance Lancers, " said the former 
 coolly, in reply to his companion's look of 
 interrogation. 
 
 "Then you had no right to ask me for 
 them, " she retorted. a I could have been 
 engaged twenty times over. And I love 
 dancing as much as I hate sitting out." 
 
 " Never mind ; we can watch the danc- 
 ing. That will be almost as good as join- 
 ing in yourself," said Castleton in tones one 
 might use to soothe a refractory child. 
 " Fact is, I want to have a talk with you, 
 Miss Tredennick. " 
 
 " We can talk afterwards. I must dance 
 this." 
 
 u Indeed you must not if you will allow 
 me to say so. In any case we are late, 
 for they have formed. Your mamma is 
 dancing too. Now are you satisfied?" 
 X " I suppose I must be ; though you have 
 taken a mean advantage over me," said
 
 Like a Sister. 157 
 
 Amy, with a sigh, feeling that even her 
 mother had deserted her. For, although 
 she was really nothing loth to sit in the 
 veranda with the man whose personal ap- 
 pearance was perfection in her eyes, still, 
 she was an abstruse little maiden for 
 all her childish exterior, and it would never 
 have done to show her hand too plainly. 
 
 u That's right," said Castleton, finding her 
 a comfortable chair and seating himself in 
 as easy a one beside her. " Now, we are 
 going to have a nice chat. And I won't 
 have you treat me as you did that poor, 
 young subaltern just now, remember." 
 
 * Thank you ; I shall not want another 
 ice just at present," replied Amy demurely. 
 "But this is a very bad place to watch the 
 dancing. The doorways are so crowded 
 with people that we can't even get a peep 
 beyond. " 
 
 "We can * 
 
 But his sentence was never finished; for 
 his eyes were bent on Amy, who, in her turn, 
 was looking at the rich graceful dress of a 
 Parsee lady standing in the doorway; and 
 neither of them heard Mr. Venn's soft, cat-
 
 158 Like a Sister. 
 
 like footsteps, or noticed his presence, until 
 his deep voice close at hand made them 
 start involuntarily. 
 
 "Not dancing, Miss Tredennick ? " he 
 asked, scrutinizing her narrowly with his 
 solemn eyes. 
 
 "I that is, we are sitting out/ said 
 she, rather foolishly, feeling by his manner 
 that she had done something not quite 
 proper, and angry at him for asking the 
 question in such a way as to make her feel 
 small. 
 
 u I am going to sit out too, if I may, " 
 he replied coolly, planting himself on the other 
 side of her without waiting for permission. 
 
 " We were just looking at that pretty get- 
 up in front," remarked Castleton carelessly, 
 though a red flush of vexation mounted to 
 his brow. 
 
 "Then it will make no difference if I do 
 so also/ 
 
 " Certainly not, when I consider what a 
 pleasure it must be to yourself. Your artist 
 eye cannot help being struck by that 
 beautiful combination of purple and orange, " 
 said Castleton sarcastically.
 
 Like a Sister. 159 
 
 u It is beautiful. Though none but an 
 eastern woman could wear it," replied Mr. 
 Venn stolidly. 
 
 Again the thought crossed Amy that men 
 can say nasty things of each other; though 
 she was so little in sympathy with the 
 maligned one on this occasion that she could 
 not blame the maligner even in her own 
 mind. And she felt relieved when the dan- 
 cers trooped in at last; and Mr. Venn, ap- 
 parently no longer anxious to sit out with 
 her for the purpose of discussing Parsee, 
 Chinese, Japanese, and Macaoese costumes 
 as they passed before their eyes, gave his 
 place to a lady whose partner was vainly 
 endeavouring to find her a seat. 
 
 " Poor fellow ! " said Castleton compas- 
 sionately, as he looked after him. 
 
 "Why 'poor'?" asked Amy surprised. 
 
 " Oh ! don't you really know, Miss Tre- 
 dennick? Have you never noticed anything 
 peculiar about him? " asked Castleton, with 
 uplifted eyebrows. 
 
 "He seems very odd certainly. But then 
 his appearance and voice are so much 
 against him."
 
 160 Like a Sister. 
 
 "If it were only that!" 
 
 " What do you mean ? * 
 
 "Well! Since you must have it, he is 
 a little gone here," said Castleton, impres- 
 sively, tapping his forehead with a fore- 
 finger. 
 
 u I should never have believed that ! " 
 Amy was aghast at the revelation. " He 
 seems quite sensible." 
 
 "They all do sometimes; but you can 
 never trust them. He is better than most, 
 being mad only on one point. Still it is 
 very annoying. Now let us change this 
 painful subject. Of course you know I have 
 told you this in strict confidence. It would 
 be cruel to let it go the rounds of the colony. 
 And it could do no good, as he is quite 
 harmless unless 
 
 " Then I should not think of telling such 
 a thing to strangers, or even to mamma," 
 said Amy, rather indignantly, " but I have 
 no secrets from Kitty. And I know Mr. 
 Venn admires her." 
 
 "You must not say any thing even to 'Kitty', 
 ifc that is the name of your handsome sister. 
 Of course, if there is any necessity for it,
 
 Like a Sister. 161 
 
 I shall let your family know. But I don't 
 think there will be, for he is quite harm- 
 less, as I said. Unless, as it sometimes 
 happens, he takes a dislike to a person. 
 Then one must simply keep out of his way. " 
 
 "I wish you had not told me this. I 
 can scarcely believe even now that such a 
 man is allowed to go loose among people ; 
 but the thought of it will make me horribly 
 uncomfortable every time he is near me." 
 
 " You need not be afraid. He could never 
 take a dislike to you," replied Castleton, 
 laying a superfluous emphasis on the last 
 word. "By the by, have you any more 
 dances to spare ? " 
 
 * Not one. But don't you think you have 
 had more than your share as it is? * 
 
 " No. I could dance the whole night 
 with one partner provided I liked her," 
 he replied fervently. 
 
 "01 couldn't! We should have nothing 
 left to talk about." 
 
 u Then we could look at each other. " 
 
 "Well! really, Mr. Castleton; you are 
 nearly as absurd as Captain Hazeldene, * 
 said Amy flushing. 
 
 VOL. I. 11
 
 162 Like a Sister. 
 
 " There ! I see you are a sensible girl, and 
 I admire you for it. Shall I tell you some 
 of my yachting adventures last summer?" 
 
 "Yes, do. Provided they're very inter- 
 esting," and Amy lent an attentive ear 
 to the narration of pluck and endurance 
 and hairbreadth escapes, which was to be 
 continued after the next dances they had 
 together. Then Castleton was careful to 
 sit with his partner amongst other people, 
 so as not to draw down the wrath of Mr. 
 Venn upon his head; and yet not too near 
 anyone to risk the chance of being over- 
 heard. 
 
 A few hours later, the Tredennick family 
 reached home; the girls had bid good-night; 
 and gone to their bedroom with more weary 
 footsteps than when they tripped down to 
 their chairs to go to the ball. 
 
 "Now, I'm going to sit down, and tell 
 you everything that happened, Kitty," cried 
 Amy, flinging herself into an easy-chair. 
 
 " Not to-night, darling. I am so tired I can 
 scarcely hold up my head. But we'll compare 
 programmes in the morning," brightly. 
 
 "To-day! you mean for it has been morn-
 
 Like a Sister, 163 
 
 ing ever so long ago. Yes; you do seem 
 tired, Kitty! And I noticed you looked as 
 white as your dress once or twice in the 
 ball-room, though you were chatting away 
 to your partner all the time you were danc- 
 ing, as well as during the intervals. Are 
 you not well, dear?" 
 
 "Quite well; only tired oh! so tired. 
 I am not accustomed to being up late at 
 night, you know. You looked lovely, dar- 
 ling. Everybody was saying you were the 
 belle of the ball, and asking who you were. 
 I heard inquiries on all sides." Kathleen 
 did not add that her appearance also created 
 a sensation, and many were the flattering 
 remarks she had overheard. 
 
 u I'm so glad ! Perhaps it was because 
 I was so intensely happy, Kitty. It w r as 
 simply glorious! One of Norah's angels any 
 way has been in heaven." 
 
 And Amy went to bed to dream of the 
 Paradise she had found so enchanting, for- 
 getting in her happiness to ask how the 
 other angel had fared. 
 
 But to Kathleen the ball had been a place 
 of torment ; though her gracious manner had
 
 164 Like a Sister. 
 
 kept her partners in blissful ignorance of her 
 real feelings. For she had gone in the full 
 expectation of meeting Ray Clifford face to 
 face ; and so putting an end to all her doubts 
 and fears, as she had firmly believed it would. 
 She had been so desperately anxious to look 
 her best, that his eyes might have pleasure 
 in her beauty; and so fully determined to 
 know from his own lips what had caused 
 his silence; and so ready to make excuses 
 for him, if she could only know he was not 
 altogether false. Of course he would ask 
 her to dance ; and she should show him she 
 had not forgotten the rhythms he had taught 
 her in the summer evenings at Allough. But 
 that he would not be at the ball never 
 struck her; that he might be sick, or on 
 leave, or not caring to go never entered 
 her mind. He loved dancing, and always 
 went to a ball when there was a chance. 
 Nothing could possibly prevent him from 
 attending this one, would have been her 
 thought, if she had thought about it at all 
 in that light. But she did not. Only a 
 ^rild desire to see him had filled her mind 
 to the exclusion of all else ; and an unreason-
 
 Like a Sister. 165 
 
 ing expectation of having it fulfilled buoyed 
 her up. The weight of her disappointment 
 almost stunned her now that she found her- 
 self alone, and away from the sparkle of 
 light, the vibration of music, and the crowded 
 rooms. As she lay still in the darkness 
 it came to her, in a dim sort of way, how 
 utterly foolish she had been to pin her faith 
 on the mere shadow of a hope; and she 
 wondered vaguely whether she had been out 
 of her mind for the time being. But the 
 mental and physical exhaustion that follows 
 any severe strain for mastery over oneself 
 dulled her senses now that the need to keep 
 up appearances was past, so that she felt 
 too weary to think it out; and she lay 
 dreamily gazing out into the night, that by 
 and by changed into grey streaks of dawn, 
 in a state which was neither activity nor 
 restfulness. It was broad daylight when 
 she at length closed her eyes, and fell into 
 a sleep so dull and heavy that neither the 
 sounds of the busy outside world nor the 
 slight movements of Amy about the room, 
 when she got up some hours later, had 
 power to rouse her from it.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 KATHLEEN was not the only one who passed 
 a sleepless night. Mr. Venn stayed at the 
 ball long enough to see the Tredennicks 
 into their chairs, and to make certain that 
 they were accompanied home by no more 
 formidable escort than Captain Hazeldene. 
 Then he went back to the large ball-room, 
 and had a walk round it. Not satisfied with 
 the result of his investigation, he entered 
 the smaller one adjoining it; and heaved a 
 sigh of relief when he saw Castleton dancing 
 with a young lady, very fresh and pretty 
 looking, but with whom his wife (if he had 
 one) would scarcely be on visiting terms, 
 ^.fter that, he descended the staircase again, 
 this time alone; and went home in solitary 
 
 166
 
 Like a Sister. 167 
 
 state with a feeling of having sacrificed 
 pleasure on the altar of duty. 
 
 His rooms at the hotel were under the 
 same roof and on the same floor as the 
 Tredennick's apartments. As he passed 
 theirs, to get to his own, he could not help 
 wishing that his sleep might be as sound 
 and dreamless as he imagined that of the 
 two innocent girls, just launched out into 
 the world, would be. 
 
 Then he shut the door of his own den 
 softly behind him ; and, turning up the light, 
 settled himself in a long chair, with a deep, 
 obtusely-written book to keep him company. 
 But, to judge by the frequent pauses in his 
 reading, and the many times the volume 
 rested back upwards on the arm of the chair, 
 he could not have found the matter worth 
 wading through; or else his thoughts were 
 wandering from the subject of the dry 
 discourse. He must have been some hours 
 thus engaged when an uncertain footstep 
 outside in the passage attracted his attention. 
 He got up, quietly; opened the door an 
 inch, and peered out. 
 
 " Ah ! I thought so, " he muttered under
 
 168 Like a Sister. 
 
 his breath ; then he went back to his chair, 
 and his book, and his fixed study of the 
 wall in front of him. 
 
 It was Castleton returning from the ball, 
 where he had stayed to finish the programme 
 and to have the lengthened wind up of a 
 second supper afterwards. So Mr. Venn had 
 been right in his conjectures. He knew also 
 from experience that the man he had been 
 shadowing would wake up in a few hours 
 after a heavy sleep almost as fresh and 
 active as if he had never dissipated in his 
 life. 
 
 Castleton had a constitution of iron a fact 
 that made him have little pity for after,- 
 night headaches or glum looks in the morn- 
 ing, because he scarcely ever experienced 
 them; and with him not to feel a thing 
 himself was to have no sympathy for other 
 sufferers. He would account a man a poor 
 fool, who, not having gone through half 
 what he did, would knock under and retire 
 to bed for a fortnight forgetting that while 
 the spirit was willing the flesh was weak. 
 H}s own splendid health never seemed to 
 suffer in .the least from the heavy tax ho
 
 Like a Sister. 169 
 
 put upon it; but, like a faithful if ill-used 
 slave, would be always ready and willing to 
 aid him in some new task, and then rise 
 up elastic and all-enduring. He had never 
 been ill in his life. This soundness of con- 
 stitution contributed not a little to his 
 marked good looks, and the favour he was 
 in with ladies; for how could they tell of 
 the life he led when his eyes were as clear 
 and his hand as steady as those of their 
 fathers and brothers who were orderly, stay- 
 at-home members of society? 
 
 On this occasion he flung himself on the 
 top of the bed in his dress clothes, slept 
 like a top until ten o'clock; then, after his 
 cold bath, and a change of garments felt 
 himself fit for anything. Uncommonly hand- 
 some he looked in his well-cut, light grey 
 suit as he sauntered down to breakfast and 
 seated himself, with his back to the wall, 
 at a table from which he commanded a good 
 view of everything that went on in the 
 room. But a casual look round sufficed him 
 that the persons he was anxious to see were 
 not there. No little golden-crowned head 
 framing a bright sparkling face whose large
 
 170 Like a Sister. 
 
 eyes were watching everything with childish 
 interest was visible. No dark-haired girl 
 whose chief attention and sweet smiles were 
 given to the elderly, thoughtful-looking gen- 
 tleman by her side, was to be distinguished 
 from everyone else present at a glance. 
 And Castleton said to himself, in forcible 
 language, that he might have known it; for 
 all women are unconscionably lazy after a 
 ball, and there's no getting them up until 
 all hours of the day! 
 
 But, if he had not been so full of en- 
 gagements during his short stay at the hotel, 
 that this was only the second meal he had 
 had in the place since his arrival, he would 
 have known that the reason of their absence 
 was not that they had breakfasted before him, 
 or that they were to come later; but simply 
 that they never intended to put in an ap- 
 pearance at all. Major Tredennick so thoroughly 
 detested hotel life that he tried to make it 
 as homelike as possible by having his meals 
 served privately; and, as it would scarcely 
 do for three ladies to go to the table d'hote 
 \^ile their male protector dined in seclusion, 
 they were compelled to keep him company.
 
 Like a Sister. 171 
 
 This arrangement was very much against 
 the inclination of his wife, who declared that 
 she never had nearly such a good dinner; 
 and, when she did manage to get what she 
 sent for, it was always cold, and therefore 
 uneatable. Nevertheless, she always managed 
 to stow away a goodly quantify of the dis- 
 paraged victuals; though the waiter's life 
 must have become a burden to him by reason 
 of her many grumblings and complaints had 
 he not had the good-fortune to be Chinese, 
 and endowed with the customary long suf- 
 fering stolidness of his race. Amy was sorry 
 for this arrangement too not because of 
 her dinner, but for the loss of the company , 
 and she loudly lamented the decision of her 
 father. But Major Tredennick declared that 
 he wanted his daughters to himself some 
 part of the day, and he could not have a 
 chance of it unless under the present 
 contrivance, with which Kathleen, as well 
 as himself, was thoroughly satisfied. 
 
 So Castleton might have given himself an- 
 other hour's rest in case he had been so in- 
 clined, and if he had merely got up to see 
 the Tredennick girls at the breakfast- table.
 
 172 Like a Sister. 
 
 But, though thoroughly appreciating a pretty 
 face and well able to pass his time pleasantly 
 with the owner of one, he was a man who 
 never allowed the thoughts of a woman to 
 monopolize too much of his time, or distract 
 him from other amusements. His opinion 
 was that the* fair sex were all very well in 
 their own place, by which he meant that 
 they were useful to man when they amused 
 and pleased him with their witticisms and 
 good looks; but were unutterable bores in 
 their moments of weakness and helplessness. 
 All the same, it flattered his vanity when 
 these inferior creatures (in his mind) showed 
 a preference for him over other men perhaps 
 as well-favoured ; and he would amuse him- 
 self until something better came in the way. 
 But the only real incentive to take any 
 trouble to win the affections of a woman 
 was when he felt piqued by her apparent 
 coldness or indiiference to him. Kathleen 
 had inspired him somewhat with that feeling 
 when she had looked full at him with her 
 clear frank eyes that did not shoot even a 
 glaam of admiration out of their blue depths. 
 She had been calmly polite, that was all.
 
 Like a Sister. 173 
 
 But he doubted if she even noticed that he 
 stood six feet three in his shoes, had a figure 
 worthy of a Greek god, and a face that ordi- 
 nary women raved about. He had been struck 
 with her high-bred beauty, though he thought 
 her rather cold in manner ; and he could not 
 help noting a resemblance in her to some 
 one he had seen years ago. But Kathleen's 
 face was purer and had less of passion in 
 the expression a face which repelled while 
 it attracted him. When he had almost made 
 up his mind that the girl was interesting 
 and worth while cultivating an acquaintance 
 with, if only to see how soon her ice mantle 
 would thaw at his breath, his roving eye 
 was caught by the bright vision of Amy, 
 and the cool way she dismissed her boyish 
 admirer raised her considerably in his esti- 
 mation. He could see that the bright-eyed, 
 soft-voiced little girl, who looked absurdly 
 young to be out of the school-room, was a 
 flirt by nature; and that her childish ways 
 would grow more of a mannerism and less 
 a part of her character as she grew older. 
 She interested him too, in a different way 
 from her sister. He laughed to himself as
 
 174 Like a Sister. 
 
 he pictured how she would act and feel 
 should anyone treat her by and by as she 
 had the subaltern. 
 
 Castleton had engaged himself to dance with 
 the sisters in the first place because they 
 were something nice to look upon, and new 
 to the place, for he liked new fresh faces 
 as much as he detested old ones ; and secondly 
 to show the residents that he, a stranger, 
 could have his pick of the prettiest girls in 
 the room. Then Mr. Venn's refusal to intro- 
 duce him had been another incentive. He 
 was resolved that that gentleman's inter- 
 ference should not make him move an inch 
 from his inclinations or actions whatever 
 course they might assume; though caution 
 must be used to keep his real intentions out 
 of sight of the meddler. It was with this 
 object in view that he had instilled into 
 Amy's mind a doubt as to Mr. Venn's sanity ; 
 so that, should any unpleasantness arise in 
 the future she, at least, would take it for 
 a maniac's freak at the time, and afterwards 
 spread the report. 
 
 ^But, just at present, Castleton was not at 
 all certain whether the game would be worth
 
 Like a Sister. 175 
 
 the candle. As he went off to the Club 
 some time later, he thought of the many 
 pretty girls he had seen in the course of his 
 varied life; girls who, on acquaintance, 
 turned out to be all alike, with a very few 
 exceptions; and, not one of whom, he ar- 
 gued, was worth a moment's thought let 
 alone risking one's life for. He was debat- 
 ing whether, after all, it would not be better 
 for him in the long run to adhere to his first 
 plan of leaving the colony the next day, and 
 so end the matter, when an incident occurred 
 which altered the time of his departure 
 altogether. At the Club steps he met a Mr. 
 Wyncoll a man who acted as deputy cap- 
 tain on board his yacht. This individual 
 came hurriedly up to him, bursting with 
 importance and saturnine excitement. 
 
 " I say, Castleton ! " he exclaimed with an 
 odd mixture of respect and familiarity, and 
 in a twang which betrayed his nationality, 
 " I've been all about hunting for you. Up to 
 the roost, and you weren't there; and then 
 to the dancing saloon to find out if, by any 
 chance, you'd not got your legs yet. But I 
 might have bet my bottom dollar I'd find
 
 176 Like a Sister. 
 
 you some where near the lemon squash booth 
 after a cocktail ! " exposing a mouthful of 
 discoloured fangs the only approach to a 
 smile he ever indulged in. 
 
 " Well ! What do you want ? " asked Castle- 
 ton shortly. 
 
 " Jest to tell you that the craft's not worth 
 her timbers," with a leer of satisfaction. 
 
 "What?" in the greatest consternation. 
 
 " Wai ! you see, we've had a collision with 
 one of them darned Chinee junks that would 
 fall foul of Old Harry. And the craft's got 
 ,a hole in her beam- ends that you could 
 stow the carcase of Jumbo in ! But the 
 junk's making a fine skittle alley for the 
 mermaids by now, I guess," he answered 
 chuckling loudly. 
 
 * Damn the junk ! Tell me what's become 
 of the yacht, will you?" 
 
 " She's in dock jest at present safe to 
 remain there for the next fortnight, you bet ! 
 I'd like you to come and view her yourself, 
 sir, and ye'll know the extent of the damage, 
 I reckon." 
 
 u What's the use ; it won't mend matters ! " 
 said Castleton carelessly, u besides I know
 
 Like a Sister. 177 
 
 she's in good hands. Now, that will do, 
 Wyncoll. If there's anything else wants 
 overhauling you'd better have it done, for 
 it strikes me we can't get out of this for 
 some time now." 
 
 "All right, sir," in a grumbling tone. It 
 had been Wyncoll's intention to magnify the 
 disaster ; but now that his object was gained 
 it would never have done to show his satis- 
 faction at the prospect of a longer stay in 
 the colony. " I guess you won't trust the 
 craft to a pack of young grasshoppers, that 
 knows nothing about sailing, again in a blue 
 moon ! " he added with a chuckle as he turned 
 on his heel. 
 
 Castleton went into the club in no very 
 amiable frame of mind. The new yacht, 
 which was not yet fully paid for, and of 
 which he was so justly proud, had come to 
 giief through his own carelessness in entrust- 
 ing it to unreliable management; when he 
 should either have been on board himself, 
 or else compelled Wyncoll to take the re- 
 sponsibility. It was just another of the bitter 
 fruits of trusting too much to his broker. 
 One thing was certain; he would have to 
 
 VOL. I. 12
 
 178 Like a Sister. 
 
 stay now whether he liked it or not ; for he 
 did not think of leaving his vessel behind 
 and going by another. The only plan under 
 the circumstances was to find out the most 
 amusing way of passing the time. 
 
 When Castleton went into an inner room 
 to answer a chit some minutes afterwards 
 he found it occupied only by Mr. Venn, who 
 was busily engaged writing a letter. 
 
 " I hear you are not leaving for some 
 time," said he, as he looked up from his 
 correspondence and recognized the intruder. 
 
 "I must say you take a precious keen 
 interest in my affairs," replied Castleton, in 
 a tone of irritation, wondering how he could 
 have gathered the information. 
 
 "True and you are well aware of my 
 motive. Remember this; that as long as 
 you remain in the colony so do I. " 
 
 u Look here, Venn ! I believe you are 
 going in for one of those girls yourself. 
 Tell me which it is; I promise to confine 
 my attentions to the other one," with an 
 awkward attempt to laugh it off. 
 ^ "I will have you know, Mr. Castleton, 
 that you shall not mention them with your
 
 Like a Sister. 179 
 
 polluted lips in my presence," said Mr. 
 Venn, rising, and speaking in a slow, mea- 
 sured voice. "Provoke me too far I can 
 let out a few things about your past life, 
 the mere mention of which will have you 
 turned out of the club not taking into 
 account other little consequences." 
 
 * I dare you to do it ! " in biting, sarcastic 
 tones. u You have no proof. So it is only 
 your word against mine. And we shall see 
 which carries most weight. Bah! man; you 
 are a fool." 
 
 "I have proof," answered Mr. Venn, 
 sternly, looking him through and through 
 with his solemn eyes. 
 
 Castleton winced under his scrutiny. But, 
 after a moment's reflection, he said in a 
 mocking tone, 
 
 "And don't you think there are a few 
 things in your past life and in those connected 
 with you that are better left dead and 
 buiied also?" 
 
 Mr. Venn's pale, putty-like complexion 
 turned perfectly livid. 
 
 u Don't ! " he said feebly, putting out his 
 hands as if to ward off a blow. * How
 
 180 Like a Sister. 
 
 can you talk like that, Castleton? You 
 should be the last one in the world to do 
 it!" and he sank down on his chair as if 
 overpowered hy some crushing memory. 
 
 " We understand each other, I see," replied 
 the other exultingly. " And, if you interfere 
 too much with my affairs, I shall have no 
 compunction in making the story public 
 property. " 
 
 " No, no ! Let it rest, for God's sake, * 
 cried Mr. Venn, beseechingly. "And yet," 
 he added, as if to himself, " sooner than that 
 she should suffer, I would give it out myself, 
 though the revelation kill me." 
 
 But Castleton knew that it would take a 
 good deal to wrench the secret from him; 
 and he left the room with a feeling of 
 exultation that Venn had been worsted on 
 his own ground. 
 
 " Hulloa! Castleton ;" exclaimed a Mr. Dilke, 
 recognizing him, " you are a marvel. Why, 
 you look as fresh as a two-year-old! How 
 do you feel after last night ? " 
 
 " As fit as a flea, " he replied, this elegant 
 simile being the most expressive he could 
 find to describe his buoyant temperament.
 
 Like a Sister. 181 
 
 " I envy you. But it's small wonder 
 you're in good form to-day. You got on 
 pretty well last night for a new-comer, I 
 must say!" 
 
 " I had not such a bad time of it on the 
 whole," he replied carelessly. 
 
 " I like that ! I'd back you for modesty, 
 against anyone, Castleton! Do you hear 
 him, Grimswaide?" 
 
 ''What are you saying?" asked a sleepy 
 voice from the depths of a long chair. " I 
 wish you'd let a fellow alone. We are 
 not all blessed with india-rubber constitutions 
 like Castleton." 
 
 "Wake up then," giving the chair a 
 vigorous kick, "and, if you don't take any 
 interest in other people, tell us how you got on. " 
 
 "Last night?" in a drowsy voice. "0, 
 much as usual! All the programmes filled 
 up when a fellow asks for a dance; and 
 nothing to fall back upon but a few season 
 dances that were over from last year. Think 
 I'll give up going to these festivities!" 
 
 " Well, for a man of your sluggish tem- 
 perament, I think you managed fairly well 
 last night, " laughed the other. " It wasn't
 
 182 Like a Sister. 
 
 a season dance you had with the Miss 
 Tredennicks anyhow." 
 
 " By Jove ! neither it was, " exclaimed 
 Grimswaide, getting up and rubbing his eyes. 
 " Ah ! that was a dance if you like ! " now 
 fairly awake. 
 
 * I thought I saw you up twice, " remarked 
 Castleton. 
 
 " One and a quarter times, you mean, " 
 corrected Grimswaide. * Directly they came 
 into the room I tackled Hazeldene; and he 
 introduced me like a shot." 
 
 " Thought you wouldn't be a very formid- 
 able rival," said Castleton, laughing. 
 
 "Just so. The dark one the Duchess, 
 I call her very graciously gave me a dance. 
 I never enjoyed one so much in my life ! " 
 
 " Spare us your ecstasies, " laughed Dilke, 
 " and go on. " 
 
 " But, when I asked the fairy for one, 
 the little monkey said, with the sweetest 
 smile in the world, that she didn't think 
 she had one to spare, but she'd see. Then 
 she looked me through and through, and 
 asked me, rather abruptly, I thought, if T 
 liked supper."
 
 Like a Sister. 183 
 
 "Lord! what a discerning young woman. 
 She could tell your weakness by your cast 
 of countenance, I'll be bound." 
 
 * And when I told her it was one of the 
 things I lived for/ continued Grimswaide, 
 unruffled by the interruption, u she said she 
 was so sorry with such an emphasis on 
 the so that she couldn't agree with me 
 as to its beneficial effects, for she had al- 
 ways heard it was bad for the complexion. 
 And she was so sorry again that she had 
 nothing left but the third supper dance 
 though I could see over her shoulder that 
 there were several spaces in her programme ! 
 She would like to dance it with me, 
 she added, with such a smile; only she 
 could not think of depriving me of my 
 supper. " 
 
 "And you were caught in the trap, 
 Grimswaide ? " 
 
 "What could I do! You would not have 
 me be impolite to a lady. Of course I told 
 her that supper was only a secondary con- 
 sideration when she was the other alterna- 
 tive. But, not content with that, the little 
 minx said she had made a mistake about
 
 184 Like a Sister. 
 
 not being engaged for the dance, though 
 she'd be delighted to stretch a point in my 
 favour, and give me half of it if her part- 
 ner had no objection. So I had to stand 
 about for half an hour on the chance of 
 catching her; and was rewarded by one 
 turn round the room." 
 
 "And the loss of your supper ! " laughed Dilke. 
 
 " Yes. That was the hardest part. But 
 I made up for it after the ladies had left, 
 by Jove ! Now let a fellow alone for pity's 
 sake ; I have nothing more to tell you ; and 
 am not in a fit state for inventing." 
 
 "Let him be!" said Castleton, looking 
 down at the recumbent figure with disgust. 
 "I think he was lucky to get half a dance 
 from the new spin, for she informed me 
 in strict confidence, you know that she 
 had given each one to four or five different 
 men, and they had to go shares for it. She 
 hasn't lived in India for nothing ! Still, 
 that's not bad for a debutante." 
 
 " Pretty fair to start with, I must say. 
 And you had half a dozen dances all to 
 yourself. Well, Castleton, you're always in 
 luck, no matter who goes to the wall."
 
 Like a Sister. 185 
 
 Castleton did not contradict him. It flat- 
 tered his vanity to know that he had been 
 observed and commented upon. Three more 
 dances only added to his importance. 
 
 " What. Dilke ! Are you as mad as the 
 rest?" asked a young fellow who had come 
 up and overheard the last few words he 
 was the subaltern Amy had dispatched for 
 the ice. " Everywhere I go there's no 
 talk of anything else but these wonderful 
 new-comers who have taken the place by 
 storm. They're all raving about them, 
 and declare they are by far the loveliest 
 girls who have ever come out here. And 
 they're about right," he added, fervently. 
 
 " What it is to be old and sun-dried ! " 
 said Dilke, laughingly, apropos of the last 
 remark. 
 
 " Oh ! Hang it all ; you know what I mean, " 
 said the youngster flushing warmly. " I've 
 seen girls in England, crowds shoals of 
 'em ; and they're precious few and far between 
 that anything like come up to the Miss Tre- 
 dennicks. England makes a fellow a good 
 judge, I can tell you ! " 
 
 " Yet this superiority doesn't prevent them
 
 186 Like a Sister. 
 
 being out on 'spec' like the rest of the sex, " 
 sneered Castleton. 
 
 * For shame ! " cried young Glennie hotly. 
 "They could get married anywhere; and 
 have their pick and choice too. Neither of 
 them will be easily pleased in that way. So 
 I fancy you'll find yourself mistaken, " glad to 
 pay off old scores, in the last allusion. 
 
 " Wait until you know the world as well 
 as I do, youngster, and you'll see that the 
 daughter of a penniless officer takes the first 
 man who asks her provided he can keep her," 
 returned Castleton, in a cold jeering tone. 
 
 " I don't want to know your world, " replied 
 the youngster stoutly, as he turned on his 
 heel. 
 
 " Come, now, Castleton, weren't you rather 
 rough on the boy ? " queried Dilke as he looked 
 after him with a sort of admiration. 
 
 " Not a bit of it," laughing. " These young 
 soldiers must be brought to their senses; 
 and nothing riles them more than an allusion 
 to the five and threepence a day. But to 
 tell you the truth, Dilke, I'm rather out of 
 temper to-day. You heard about the yacht, 
 I suppose ? "
 
 Lfike a Sister. 187 
 
 " Yes ; everybody knows everybody else's 
 business in no time here. I'm sorry for you. 
 It's very hard lines to have a beauty like 
 that smashed. How are you going to pass 
 the time until she's fixed up?" 
 
 " That's what I want you to tell me. * 
 
 "Suppose we follow the fashion, and go 
 round to call on these wonderful girls? I'm 
 dying to make their acquaintance. But I 
 couldn't face the ordeal of a first interview 
 unless I went under the protecting wing of 
 someone who knew them before. Will you 
 come too, Grimswaide?" shaking the chair 
 vigorously. 
 
 u Eh ? What ? * sitting bolt upright, " come 
 to tiffin! Can't, my dear fellow, can't. My 
 physical state will not allow me wish it 
 did ! " sinking down again into limp recum- 
 bency. 
 
 " Will you come out calling? " The 
 words were bawled unmistakably into his 
 ear this time. 
 
 u Calling! How can you?" with a groan 
 of misery. " But, I say, Dilke ! " rousing 
 himself a little, and opening his eyes with 
 a sickly look of anticipation. " Would they
 
 188 Like a Sister. 
 
 do you think they would ask a fellow to 
 dinner ? " 
 
 u Rather ! See what you're missing. You 
 and I then, Castleton?" 
 
 "All right. Anything to oblige you," 
 replied Castleton carelessly; by which he 
 meant u anything to pass the time. " And he 
 thought that this might be a pleasant enough 
 way of doing so.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 IT was three o'clock in the afternoon when 
 Kathleen awoke out of the dull, lethargic 
 sleep into which she had fallen after her 
 miserable disappointment. She did not, at 
 first, recollect anything about the ball; but 
 thought she was still on board ship; and 
 that it had just calmed down after a terri- 
 bly boisterous night. But a look round the 
 room convinced her that it was not the nar- 
 row cabin. Then, as her eyes fell on the 
 white dress still lying on the chair she had 
 flung it over-night, the memory came back, 
 with a flash, of all that had occurred since 
 then. She put her hands up to her hot 
 head, and pressed them tightly against the 
 temples, which were threatening to burst 
 
 189
 
 190 Like a Sister. 
 
 with the weight of thought that was crowd- 
 ing them in that brief moment of time. 
 That her disappointment was all her own 
 fault she now saw clearly ; and the only 
 conclusion she could arrive at in her own 
 mind was that she had been mad for the 
 while to have been so certain of everything 
 falling in with her wishes. She gave a bit- 
 ter little laugh at the remembrance of her 
 folly ; and how she had vowed a month ago 
 to put Ray Cliiford out of her thoughts. It 
 was easy to do so in theory she knew to 
 her cost how utterly impossible in practice. 
 The heart would not be ruled by the brain, 
 for all her strivings. The vision of a pair 
 of grey eyes aglow with the true love-light 
 came between her and her prayers; and, 
 be he false or fickle now, she felt she must 
 always remember the time when they 
 plighted their vows together, and he had sworn 
 to be true and faithful. That he had for- 
 saken her was the only conclusion she could 
 come to, when she thought it over in the 
 clear light of day. Now her dreams van- 
 ished into their former nothingness; for she 
 knew she had wilfully blinded herself with
 
 Like a Sister. 191 
 
 hopes until they had seemed realities. The 
 ideal, only, was left as a type of true man- 
 hood not all the strength of her will could 
 tear that away. 
 
 The cruelty of her position was doubled 
 by the knowledge that she had followed him 
 from the other side of the world though 
 all unknowing as to his whereabouts; and 
 with a strange revulsion of feeling, she now 
 feared and dreaded a meeting as much as she 
 had longed for it the night before. 
 
 Why had he ever disturbed the peace of 
 her calm life at Allough if this was to be the 
 end of it, she asked herself bitterly? She 
 had been so happy in the old life, with a 
 calm, quiet happiness that never knows a 
 real care, even if its pleasures are counted 
 dull and monotonous by those in the crowded, 
 outside world. But Kathleen had known 
 nothing different until Ray Clifford came into 
 her life. And then? The new interests; 
 the wider sympathies; and lastly the love 
 she had given so fully with all the strength 
 of a young, strong, unspoilt nature. What a 
 glorious, undreamed-of world it had created 
 with its magic touch; enlarging and enno-
 
 192 Like a Sister. 
 
 bling even the common things around her; 
 and opening up a life so full and joyous 
 that none can realize but those who expe- 
 rience it truly. And afterwards? The part- 
 ing; the pain; the cruel waiting; the tor- 
 turing doubts. The return to the daily round, 
 with the new sorrow in place of the old 
 calm. And then? A dull, cold feeling of 
 hope dead for ever, and a longing to die 
 too. The determination to keep up appear- 
 ances so strong in proud, reserved natures, 
 that cannot lay any of their burden upon 
 other people and shrink instinctively from 
 baring their heart even to friends suffering 
 in consequence more acutely. 
 
 But youth is strong in such natures. 
 With them life must be lived, and duties 
 gone through faithfully even when the heart 
 is breaking ; and, by and by, they show the 
 striver that there are things more noble than 
 to live for love alone. 
 
 If Kathleen had stayed on at Allough she 
 would have, in time, grown into an exem- 
 plary old woman, caring only for the good 
 o^ others ; and blessed with the last breath 
 of those she had dwelt amongst. But the
 
 Like a Sister. 193 
 
 total change of associations unsettled the 
 sense of security which was beginning to 
 steal over her; and the sudden mention of 
 a name had brought out feelings, that she 
 had striven to put aside as dead and buried, 
 memories of a time that was too sweet to 
 last. 
 
 But no one had ever guessed her love- 
 story in the past; and no one would know 
 it now, was her determination. She might 
 suffer in secret ; no one must be the wiser ; 
 and her pride compelled her to drive the 
 thoughts of it, even from herself, as far as she 
 was able. To succeed was another matter. 
 The promptings of the heart cannot be ruled 
 by the strongest will, though they may 
 plead compliance to it. Kathleen was strong- 
 willed by nature, and her sorrow had helped 
 to develop the characteristic. But even 
 now, it never was obtrusive, nor made her 
 seem more than womanly, by reason of a 
 natural sweetness of disposition and an habi- 
 tual consideration for others. Her beauty 
 would have marked her anywhere ; but what 
 was the use of it now, she thought, when 
 the only one, for whom she prized it, had 
 
 VOL. I. 13
 
 194 Like a Sister. 
 
 forgotten her? But she was not a girl to 
 let the sorrow, that lay deep down in the 
 depths of her heart, alter her outside life, 
 or warp her energies. It enlarged her sym- 
 pathies instead of narrowing them; for to 
 sit idly with hands folded and lament her 
 destiny was contrary to her nature. It 
 made her calmer, graver, and more dignified 
 perhaps than a young girl of twenty should 
 have been; hut her manners matched her 
 type of beauty (though maybe one had been 
 moulded after the other); and no one could 
 guess that she had a love-story that dated two 
 years back. She had been a sweet gracious 
 child then, thorough and full of purpose 
 in all her undertakings; now she was a 
 sweet, gracious woman, with a woman's 
 intensity of feeling under a calm exterior 
 that was all. 
 
 When she had thought everything over, 
 and decided that there was nothing to be 
 done but to live it down, and not let her 
 father notice any difference in her, the door 
 burst open, and Amy rushed in, exclaiming, 
 v "You lazy, lazy girl! Never blame me 
 now for not getting up in the morning."
 
 Like a Sister. 195 
 
 8 Why, Amy, are you actually dressed 
 before me ? " in astonishment. 
 
 " I should think so indeed ! I had all the 
 talking to do at tiffin." 
 
 u Tiffin ! But it's only half-past seven, * 
 said Kathleen, drawing her watch from under 
 her pillow. 
 
 " It was twenty past three nearly ten 
 minutes ago. Why, Kitty, it's stopped ! " 
 cried Amy, putting the watch up to her ear. 
 
 " I must have forgotten to wind it last 
 night, " replied Kathleen, with an involuntary 
 shudder, at the memory of her state of mind 
 on that occasion. 
 
 u No wonder, poor dear, when you were 
 so tired. And I must say you don't look 
 very bright yet. Dancing can't agree with 
 you as well as it does with me; for I was 
 up at seven, and don't feel the least bit 
 done up. I couldn't sleep any longer; and 
 I wanted to tell you all about the ball. 
 But you were so fast asleep that I didn't 
 like to wake you. So I told it to Norah 
 instead; and she informed me, with quite a 
 superior air, that it must have been just 
 like the Harvest Hop, she used to attend in
 
 196 Like a Sister. 
 
 the barn at home; only her people had a 
 fiddler instead of a band, and danced the 
 jig in brogues instead of waltzing in white 
 satin slippers ! ' But it's all the same in the 
 end, Miss Amy,' she said, 'for that's where 
 we met the boys we were to walk out with, 
 all the next year; and I'm sure you and 
 Miss Kathleen met the gentlemen last night 
 that you intend to keep company with from 
 now.' Of course, I can't put on the grandly 
 modified brogue she now glories in; but 
 those were exactly her words. Fancy ' keep- 
 ing company,' and 'walking out.' Isn't it 
 a funny way of putting it? * 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I suppose it does seem odd 
 to you," said Kathleen, smiling. "But you 
 are just as silly as Norah, to listen to her 
 nonsense," she added in a graver tone. 
 
 "You wouldn't 'keep company' with any 
 one, would you?" asked Amy, slyly. 
 
 "Certainly not," decidedly. 
 
 "And never did! Eh, Kitty?" 
 
 " Don't be foolish, dear, " wondering what 
 her sister was driving at. 
 % " That's not a direct answer so I sup- 
 pose I can't say you are telling stories,"
 
 Like a Sister. 197 
 
 with mock severity. "But, as I know all 
 about it, I'll not put you to the ordeal of 
 confession, Miss Kitty ! " 
 
 u You know all about what ? " asked Kath- 
 leen indignantly, though she had a pretty 
 good idea of what Amy meant. " You have 
 been gossiping about my affairs to a ser- 
 vant ! " as a laugh was the only answer. " It 
 is positively wicked of you." 
 
 u dear ! You have let the cat out of the 
 bag and no mistake," exclaimed Amy, clap- 
 ping her hands, and dancing round Kath- 
 leen with delight. " Don't be cross about 
 nothing, like a good sister. I wouldn't 
 gossip about ' your aifairs ' for anything. But 
 there's a certain Mr. Ray Clifford of course 
 you never heard the name before, so it has 
 no interest for you! there's a Mr. Ray 
 Clifford just at present paying a duty call 
 to mamma." 
 
 " What of that ? " asked Kathleen, laconi- 
 cally, though her heart gave one fierce throb 
 which threatened to suffocate her, and then 
 seemed to stand still, coldly, sickeningly. 
 
 " Oh, nothing ! Only he, after looking 
 all round the room, as if he had lost some-
 
 198 Like a Sister. 
 
 thing, inquired for you; and father, in the 
 innocence of his heart, asked him how he 
 knew there was a ' Miss Kathleen'. Do you 
 follow me?" 
 
 "Go on," said Kathleen, in the same hard 
 
 one. 
 
 " And he mentioned something not at all to 
 the point about the ball, in reply. But 
 mamma caught him up sharply; for he had 
 just said that he had been on duty last 
 night. Then he turned fiery red ; and, look- 
 ing her straight in the face, declared it 
 wasn't that he meant. But fairly cornered, 
 he admitted, rather unwillingly I could see, 
 that he had known you some years ago; 
 only, of course, you had forgotten all about 
 him he might have known that. What's 
 the matter, Kitty?" 
 
 For Kathleen, who had got up, and was 
 putting the finishing touches to her hair with 
 cool, steady fingers, and with an expression 
 of haughty indifference on her lovely face, 
 had suddenly become as white as her dress- 
 ing-gown. She began to sway to and fro 
 & if she were going to faint, while striving 
 with all her power to keep her feet. It was
 
 Like a Sister. 199 
 
 only for a moment, however. When Amy 
 sprang forward to assist her to a seat, she 
 steadied herself with a great effort, and 
 declined the proffered help with a wave of 
 the hand. Her secret was out now, she felt. 
 
 "Tell me exactly what he said," she 
 exclaimed with feverish eagerness, unmind- 
 ful that she was thereby betraying herself. 
 * Are you sure oh 1 Amy, are you quite 
 certain he said that ? " 
 
 "That you had forgotten him? Yes; I 
 am quite sure those were the words. And 
 his manner was quite enough, even if he 
 had said nothing. I thought it such a pity 
 of the poor fellow when mamma put up her 
 glasses and stared at him though he didn't 
 seem much impressed after the first minute, 
 I must say! But father looked quite be- 
 wildered, and unable to take it in; though 
 the other men who were in the room seemed 
 highly amused. They were too far off to 
 hear what he said, I'm glad to say. 0, 
 Kitty ! it must be a dreadful thing to be in 
 love with anyone, and not to know it is 
 returned. " 
 
 "It is, darling," replied Kathleen, with
 
 200 Like a Sister. 
 
 such an intensity of feeling, that her sister 
 knew there was nothing more to find out. 
 
 " And you never told me about this ! That 
 was very mean of you, when you know 
 how I love news. I thought there were 
 to be no secrets between us. I tell you 
 everything. " 
 
 "Don't!" cried Kathleen, surprised and 
 pained at the light way her sister spoke of 
 a matter which was life and death to her. 
 Then, remembering how childish Amy was, 
 and that she knew nothing of the trouble, 
 she said sweetly, " It was very good of 
 you, dear, to come and tell me about this 
 old friend." 
 
 " Not at all, " was the nonchalant reply, 
 * I'm uncommonly glad to have my own 
 curiosity gratified," and Amy smiled archly. 
 "Besides, I think I deserve some reward for 
 having come in to see if you were asleep or 
 awake, every half hour since ten o'clock. 
 No, don't put it down to my thoughtfulness ; 
 father sent me. And mamma came in to 
 see you once, and declared that you would 
 t&ke the prize from the seven sleepers." 
 Amy was too kind-hearted to add that
 
 Like a Sister. 201 
 
 her mother had also remarked, that Kath- 
 leen looked old enough for thirty; and 
 it was a blessing Mr. Venn couldn't see 
 her, when she was asleep, or he would 
 think twice before entering the family! 
 u Now, make haste and come down, I can't 
 wait for you because Mr. Castleton is in - 
 I mean oh! how stupid of me! I came 
 here to fetch a photo he wanted to see, 
 and forgot all about it. I do hope he has 
 not gone. Where is the thing? Do help 
 me to look for it, Kitty! Never mind, 
 I've got it now. Don't be long; and try 
 to look your best, for the room's full of 
 men, who have come to call on us. There's 
 not a lady, but mamma, to talk to them at 
 present. I'll say you're coming directly." 
 
 u You must not do anything of the kind, 
 Amy," said Kathleen, seizing her arm. "I 
 do not feel fit to face a roomful; and I 
 intend to stay here." 
 
 " I can't say you're ill ; and it looks so 
 foolish to say you've been asleep," doubtfully, 
 "but do let me go, Kitty! and I'll say 
 anything you like, or nothing at all. I 
 promised to be back with the photo in two
 
 202 Like a Sister. 
 
 minutes; and it's quite ten now. I only 
 hope mamma hasn't been giving her views 
 on something or another, and frightened 
 him away," and off she darted, leaving the 
 contents of a bullock-trunk overturned in 
 her haste. 
 
 Kathleen quietly closed the door Amy 
 had left wide open; and sat down quite 
 bewildered. The diversities of feeling, she 
 had passed through in the last few hours, 
 had left her so weak and nervous, that, 
 now she was alone, a violent fit of trem- 
 bling seized her; and it was as much as she 
 could do to keep herself from falling off the 
 chair. It seemed to her that she was a 
 kind of football, kicked about by fate from 
 one emotion to another, with scarcely breath- 
 ing time between each, to rally her ener- 
 gies or try to direct herself what course 
 she should pursue. Last night hope had 
 been strong within her; an hour ago she 
 had almost despaired; and now, hope was 
 once more in the ascendency. But she did 
 not intend to be again carried away by her 
 cfesires; she would wait and see how things 
 shaped themselves, so as not to be doomed
 
 Like a Sister. 203 
 
 to disappointment a second time. Her 
 wishes had been so long held back from her, 
 that she could not be sure of them coming 
 true even now ; and, if they did, she had 
 been so long accustomed to dreary waiting, 
 that a little longer did not matter much. 
 She determined not to see Ray Clifford that 
 afternoon; if he really loved her he would 
 call again, and she did not feel herself 
 equal to meeting him at present. When 
 she had finished dressing, she tried to settle 
 down, and finish a sketch of the Water- 
 fall at Penang, which she had begun some 
 weeks before. But her hand shook so, that 
 she had to put it aside. Her head was 
 aching too, and no wonder, for she had 
 eaten nothing except an ice since dinner 
 the night before her partners having been 
 one and all too anxious to finish their 
 dances, to hint at such an unromantic inter- 
 ruption as supper. And even, if Kathleen 
 had not had her mind so full of her dis- 
 appointment that she felt food would have 
 choked her, she was too new to ball-going 
 life to follow the example of those 'young' 
 ladies who, with wisdom taught by the
 
 204 Like a Sister. 
 
 experience of many seasons, know how to 
 fortify the body with something more sub- 
 stantial than an ice, almost as often as the 
 soul is fed with a new strain of music. 
 
 At the present moment Amy was too 
 much occupied with her own affairs to 
 remember that her sister had been fasting 
 so long; Mrs. Tredennick was also busy 
 ' entertaining ' the company and had not 
 even one acrid thought to spare for her 
 stepdaughter, and her husband was under 
 the impression that Kathleen was still asleep. 
 As for Norah, she began to find hotel-life 
 hang heavy on her hands. In the few 
 blissful intervals when her mistress' sharp 
 eyes were not overlooking the task of sewing, 
 set to fill up her maid's spare time, that 
 young woman amused herself by trying 
 which of Mrs. Tredennick's numerous large, 
 floppy, Paris hats, and tight, neat, tailor- 
 made coats were most becoming to her 
 own Hibernian person. 
 
 So no one thought of the possibility of 
 Kathleen feeling hungry not that she did 
 Iterself for that matter and, if she had, she 
 would not, in her ignorance of ordinary hotel
 
 Like a Sister. 205 
 
 usages, have known that the problem could 
 be solved by simply ringing the bell and 
 ordering what she wanted. As it was, her 
 mind was too much occupied with the 
 sudden changes that had befallen her, to give 
 a thought to anything so material as eating 
 and drinking. Her secret was a secret no 
 longer, now that Amy had so shrewdly found 
 it out; and she felt intensely angry with 
 herself for having let her sister get hold of 
 it so easily. But she could not have acted 
 otherwise and be true to herself; for Kath- 
 leen would not have told a falsehood to 
 save her life. In addition to her anger with 
 herself and the sensitive pain, she felt at her 
 love-story having been discovered, there was 
 a sore feeling in her heart by the manner 
 it had been found out. Amy had always 
 seemed such a child in every way, that the 
 idea, that she could draw her own conclusions, 
 and then set to work to find out if her 
 conjectures were right, was a disclosure. 
 But Kathleen's true, transparent nature was 
 slow to think evil of anyone. Surely it 
 was not her sister's fault, she argued, that 
 her appearance and manners made one fancy
 
 206 Like a Sister. 
 
 she was so much younger than her real age. 
 Besides, on the other hand, what was so 
 serious to her, was really only a species of 
 amusement to Amy; and, after all, it did 
 not belie her childish nature, to try and find 
 out the truth about Ray Clifford just for 
 the fun of the thing. Kathleen hoped 
 sincerely, that she would say nothing about 
 it to her mother at present ; and she already 
 felt a dread of the ordeal to come by and by, 
 when Mrs. Tredennick would be ready armed 
 with awkward questions, which could not fail 
 to wound a sensitive mind by their coarse 
 directness. Indeed, one of the reasons that 
 kept Kathleen in her room was a fear lest 
 she should be openly attacked before stran- 
 gers, she having a natural objection to her 
 private affairs being made public property, 
 not to mention the awkwardness of the 
 situation, to Ray Clifford as well as to herself. 
 Meanwhile Amy was too busy chatting to 
 Castleton, about her life in India, to have a 
 thought to spare for anyone but the hand- 
 some man beside her. He was making good 
 ^Ise of his time from his own point of 
 view and the demure-looking little girl
 
 Like a Sister. 207 
 
 who, a few minutes ago, had wheedled out 
 her sister's secret, was now in turn being 
 drawn out herself by the skilful questionings 
 of a thorough-paced man of the world. It 
 was one of Castleton's boasts, that he could 
 get anything he chose out of any woman 
 under the sun, when he took the trouble to 
 pretend an interest in her. He was succeed- 
 ing wonderfully well in the present instance. 
 Everything in Amy's short past, that he 
 cared to know, was laid open for his inspection, 
 almost without her knowledge; for she was 
 already under the spell of his fascinating 
 manner, to which older and wiser women had 
 yielded almost unconsciously, and of which they 
 had found out the delusion only when it was 
 too late for their own peace of mind. 
 
 Castleton considered himself a good judge 
 of character. So much knocking about the 
 world had certainly taught him that different 
 women must be managed in different ways, 
 if one wants to be a favourite with the sex 
 in general. He could be cold, indifferent, 
 or tender as the case required. But it was 
 in his character of brotherly interest that 
 he was most dangerous. This was the man-
 
 208 Like a Sister. 
 
 ner he was assuming to poor little Amy a 
 manner that not even her parents could take 
 offence at or think anything more than kind 
 and gentlemanly, or in any way inconsistent 
 with such a short acquaintance. And Amy 
 was also deceived. He had told her, at the 
 ball, that he was getting on in years old 
 enough to be her father in fact and he did 
 not intend to behave like the silly young 
 men, she must have been bored with all the 
 evening. This was after he had tried to flirt 
 with her, but without success. For Amy 
 could be coy on occasion. She had opened 
 her large eyes to their fullest extent and 
 gazed at him in infantile wonder as to his 
 meaning, when he had framed a delicate 
 compliment intended for herself, and not 
 bearing in the least on the subject they 
 were discussing, while she innocently re- 
 marked that she really could not understand 
 what he meant. And Castleton did not take 
 the trouble to explain to her. He came to 
 the conclusion that, though the childish-look- 
 ing debutante might flirt -with boys who 
 %ere greener than herself, and lead them a 
 dance too, she was quite too wide awake to
 
 Like a Sister. 209 
 
 be caught in the same trap, with her eyes 
 open, by men who had the pull over her in 
 age and experience. Besides, he had no time 
 to waste in winning the regard of a coy 
 maiden. So he changed his tactics; and, 
 now that his departure was delayed, he 
 thought there might be a less agreeable mode 
 of passing the time than a friendly intercourse 
 with two pretty girls. 
 
 Just at present he had succeeded in entirely 
 monopolizing Amy; much to the disgust of 
 the other male callers, who had not come 
 there as audience of a social meeting, whose 
 speaker in general was Mrs. Tredennick. 
 
 Major Tredennick had left the room in 
 company w^ith young Clifford, who had taken 
 his leave shortly after hearing that Kathleen 
 was asleep ; had a headache ; and was uncom- 
 monly lazy for a young girl a different 
 version from each member of her family. 
 The callers bid good-bye, and left their places 
 to a new batch, who, in turn, found they 
 had an engagement at five-thirty and would 
 be late if they didn't hurry off; still Castleton 
 sat on. He was quite too comfortable to 
 move, was his whispered assurance to Mr. 
 
 VOL. I. 14
 
 210 Like a Sister. 
 
 Dilke, under cover of the photograph he was 
 pretending to be viewing so closely. So, 
 when that individual, after a series of agonized 
 looks at him, by which he vainly tried to 
 express his own discomfort, had at last 
 resorted to the more persuasive eloquence of 
 a savage poke with his stick on to an invit- 
 ingly protruding well-shaped boot, it was still 
 with the same result. For Castleton was 
 afflicted with neither corns nor conscience, 
 much to his friend's disgust. And that long- 
 suffering individual had to turn round again 
 to Mrs. Tredennick, who was sitting in solitary 
 state among the deserted tea-cups ; and was 
 made acquainted with some more of her views 
 on the growing depravity of the club-loving 
 man. 
 
 Castleton smiled to himself; then went on 
 talking to Amy, unmindful that his friend 
 was not so happily circumstanced as to his 
 tete-a-tete. 
 
 u When was it taken ?" he asked her, 
 apropos of the photograph he held in his hand. 
 " Just before we left India to come home 
 Kitty. It must be over three months ago. " 
 "Home! How is it the English always
 
 Like a Sister. 211 
 
 use that word in reference to England itself, 
 no matter where they may have been born 
 and have lived?" 
 
 " It is odd, I suppose. Yet we all do it 
 even I, who am Irish from father's side of 
 the house, and oh! I don't know exactly 
 what, from mamma's English, I suppose, 
 really; for grandpapa's name was Ford. 
 But you see he was born in India, and 
 his he lived there all his life, that is; so 
 did mamma until a few months ago. It 
 seems quite an age to me since we left 
 though because I am out now, perhaps." 
 
 "Dear me! What a long time," replied 
 Castleton, quite satisfied with Amy's explana- 
 tions. " I was under the impression that 
 you came out at the ball last night?" 
 
 * So I did, " promptly. 
 
 "But this is a very grand ball-dress in 
 which you have been photographed." 
 
 " It was only a plain white silk trimmed 
 with swansdown. I'll tell you how I came 
 to wear it. They were having a grand 
 fancy-dress ball where we were stationed; 
 and, of course, wanted all the girls the place 
 could muster to attend it. I was simply
 
 212 Like a Sister. 
 
 dying to go ; but knew there was no use in 
 asking father to take me; for he had said 
 I was not to come out until Kitty did, if I 
 had to wait ten years ; and I knew he would 
 not change his mind. But mamma wanted 
 to take me. So, as we were two against 
 one, we hit upon a plan which, if it were 
 properly managed, might make him give in 
 for once. Can you guess what it was?" 
 
 " Went to the ball in such a disguise that 
 no one could possibly recognize you." 
 
 "We did think of that; only well, you 
 see, father would have been horribly angry, 
 if by any chance he had found it out. 
 Instead of that, we said nothing at all to 
 him, after he had told mamma I was positively 
 not to go. But mamma and I agreed between 
 us that my dress should be made, and I 
 was to appear fully got-up just as they were 
 starting to go to the ball." 
 
 * So you went after all I Now, honour 
 bright, Miss Tredennick, don't you call that 
 being out?" 
 
 u No. Unfortunately I didn't go, " said 
 Xmy, mournfully. "I was so disappointed, 
 for my dress was lovely. I was to have
 
 Like a Sister. 213 
 
 personified the spirit of innocence; but, when 
 I showed myself to father, and told him 
 who I was and where I was going, he got 
 very angry and said I must take it off at 
 once, for I was a libel on the character. 
 Did you ever hear of such a horrid thing 
 to say to a girl, just because she wanted 
 to go to a ball!" 
 
 " It was very hard lines, certainly. But, 
 of course, your father would not like you 
 to come out when you were so young; and 
 so much younger than your sister too." 
 
 "Have you any idea what age I am?" 
 asked Amy indignantly. 
 
 " I'm afraid I am not a good judge, Miss 
 Tredennick ; I know so little of ladies. But 
 if I may hazard an opinion, about fourteen 
 or fifteen." 
 
 " I am only eighteen and two months ; 
 Kitty is just twenty, " in as dignified a tone 
 as she could muster; for Amy had a great 
 dislike to being thought anything else than 
 a quite grown-up personage, by her male 
 acquaintances. 
 
 " Really ? I could not have thought it, 
 to look at you. All the girls I have ever
 
 214 Like a Sister. 
 
 known, who have lived in India as you've 
 done, have been quite settled-down old 
 women at eighteen. They've regular crow's 
 feet all round their eyes caused by screw- 
 ing them up to avoid being blinded by the 
 sun, I suppose ! As for complexions, they 
 had none. But it would take a very power- 
 ful microscope indeed to detect even the 
 shadow of a wrinkle on yours, Miss Tre- 
 dennick. " 
 
 These words, and still more the tone in 
 which they were uttered had the effect of 
 mollifying Amy. Her complexion was one 
 of her strong points; and she was well 
 aware that anything said in its favour was 
 not less than truth, and could never degener- 
 ate into mere flattery. She smiled to 
 herself as she thought of wrinkles on the 
 smooth, pink-and-white-china surface of her 
 skin. But she only said, 
 
 " I scarcely ever went out in the sun 
 when we were in India perhaps that is 
 why I did not screw up my eyes ! Besides 
 we were very fortunate in always being 
 stationed up in the hills ; except once, when 
 I was a baby, father had to go to a station
 
 Like a Sister. 215 
 
 down in the plains, where he stayed for 
 some years. Only then mamma would not 
 accompany him because of the heat; and 
 she kept me with her in the hills, while 
 father was frizzling down below." 
 
 "Poor man! How he must have missed 
 you," exclaimed Castleton, in a sympathetic 
 voice; while his inward ejaculation was, 
 u Poor old chap ! what a blessed spell of 
 liberty ! Wonder who he got to console him 
 in the absence of that chee-chee beldam, 
 his wife?" 
 
 "Yes; he must have been lonely. But 
 mamma does not care for too much heat; 
 though she can't bear a cold climate. That 
 is the reason, I believe, why we have never 
 been stationed in England. And father has 
 been very lucky in always being able to effect 
 an exchange when it came to his turn for 
 home service; though, of course, it has 
 retarded his promotion." 
 
 " One can't expect everything. But you 
 must have had compensation enough in the 
 very gay Indian life." 
 
 "Ah! indeed, it was anything but that 
 for any of us. Father thoroughly detested
 
 216 Like a Sister. 
 
 going out, and never left home unless he 
 was compelled to; and mamma could not 
 always go alone. Though she used to say 
 that the other ladies in the station were 
 not so particular about their husbands, and 
 would go out under the escort of anyone 
 who asked them." 
 
 "And you used to be always left at 
 home ?" said Castleton, sympathetically, though 
 he could not help smiling at her naive dis- 
 closures. 
 
 "Always. I was considered only a child. 
 It was a great shame, I think, for all 
 the girls we knew came out before they 
 were seventeen. It used to make me feel 
 very small sometimes; though I pretended 
 not to mind." 
 
 "But you went to pic-nics and things of 
 that sort, if you were not allowed to go to 
 dances? " 
 
 "Very occasionally. Not every time I 
 was asked, by any means. People were 
 very kind inviting me. But, after a while, 
 when they found I was kept in the nursery, 
 t^ey used to treat me as if I was really 
 an infant in arms,* indignantly.
 
 Like a Sister. 217 
 
 " That is sometimes very nice, Miss Tre- 
 dennick. Being petted all round, and getting 
 endless presents of sugar-plums from all the 
 men in the station ! " 
 
 "Of course they were good to me," re- 
 plied Amy, in the tone a queen might use 
 when acknowledging her due. " But I 
 would much rather have been treated as if 
 I was grown up. Besides, when one has 
 short hair and short frocks, and is allowed 
 into the drawing-room as a favour, people 
 are apt to take very objectionable liberties." 
 
 u surely not. " 
 
 u Yes ; indeed they do. Why, only about 
 two years ago an odious old Colonel, who came 
 to pay a first call on mamma, wanted to 
 kiss me, because he said I was like his little 
 daughter in England. And it turned out 
 that that child was only twelve!" 
 
 "It was nice for the Colonel, Fll allow. 
 But I don't envy you in such a position." 
 
 "Oh! you don't think you surely can't 
 imagine that I let him kiss me! I was 
 nearly sixteen at the time." 
 
 " But how could you get out of it under the 
 circumstances?" with a great show of interest.
 
 218 Like a Sister. 
 
 * Quite easily. When he put out his 
 arms and said, 'Come and sit on my knee, 
 and give me a kiss, my little dear, ' I felt 
 ready to kill him for insulting me before a 
 roomful of people. So I turned round, and 
 gave him a sound box on the ear." 
 
 " Serve him right too. Ugly old men 
 should have more sense," said Castleton 
 laughing immoderately. 
 
 " He was intensely plain; though I forgot 
 I had told you so." 
 
 "How small he must have felt!" laughed 
 Castleton. But he knew better than to give 
 expression to his thoughts, which were to 
 this eifect: That the young lady who would 
 so glibly repeat such a story, could have no 
 other motive than to show her listener that 
 she would not have objected to such treat- 
 ment, if the aggressor had been young and 
 handsome, and alone in the room with her. 
 
 "I am so glad you think I did right to 
 box his ears, Mr. Castleton," said Amy, who 
 was already beginning to look up to him 
 for guidance and approval. "Father says I 
 bfchaved like a barmaid." 
 
 "I really do not know how a barmaid
 
 Like a Sister. 219 
 
 would have acted under the circumstances," 
 replied he, with double-dyed hypocrisy. " But 
 you, I consider, behaved like a young lady 
 of spirit. Do you know, Miss Tredennick, 
 I have quite fallen in love with this photo. 
 Though I don't think it does you justice." 
 
 "Mamma had it taken the day after the 
 
 Fancy Ball; so the dress was not altogether 
 
 lost," replied Amy, simpering with pleasure, 
 
 'for the full-length panel-portrait might have 
 
 represented an angel. 
 
 " If I knew you a little better I would 
 beg you to give it me," said Castleton, 
 fixing his dark magnetic eyes, which just 
 now had a wistful look in them, on the 
 girl, " because, " he hastened to add, seeing 
 Amy colour up before his steady gaze, "I 
 had a very dear niece once; and you re- 
 mind me so much of what she used to be 
 for she died," and he heaved a sigh, whose 
 genuineness could only be doubted by those 
 who knew the man. 
 
 Before Amy had time for a reply she found 
 herself shaking hands with Mr. Dilke, who had 
 profited by Mrs. Tredennick stooping for her 
 handkerchief, to act on his own responsibility.
 
 220 Like a Sister. 
 
 Castleton picked up the photograph and 
 calmly put it in his pocket. 
 
 "Thank you so much for this," he said, 
 indicating where it lay. 
 
 "But I never gave one to a man in my 
 life," protested Amy. 
 
 " Never mind. I am an old one ; so you 
 need not count me," flashing one of his 
 fascinating smiles. 
 
 " But began Amy again. 
 
 "Au revoir," said Castleton coolly, mean- 
 ing thereby that there was nothing more to 
 be said on the subject at present. 
 
 "I must say you have exceeded yourself 
 to-day, Castleton. But I'll be hanged if ever 
 I go out calling with you again, in the course 
 of my natural life," said Dilke, who began 
 to breathe freely again, once he was clear 
 of the lecture-room and outside. 
 
 * You seem to forget that I came with 
 you in the goodness of my heart. It was 
 all through your suggestion, " said Castleton, 
 laughing, "and I'm glad you had such a 
 good time of it, old man. I did my best 
 for you even spoilt my reputation by making 
 a lengthy first call."
 
 Like a Sister. 221 
 
 * Stop, I tell you ! unless you want to 
 drive me stark, raving mad. She actually 
 asked how much I had a year, straight out ; 
 and then, two minutes after, informed me 
 that a man should be worth so much before 
 he thought of marrying. Good Lord ! does 
 the woman think I'm after her daughters 
 already? It's enough to disgust a fellow 
 with the whole sex ! " 
 
 " Bah ! They're all the same, Dilke. Even 
 the yellow-haired demurity knows her lesson 
 by heart. So it won't do her any harm in 
 the long run if I cultivate her acquaintance 
 a bit for want of something better to 
 do! Now, come along to my diggings. 
 I'll treat you to something more palatable 
 than a cup of wishy-washy pig's wash," 
 which flattering title was applied to Mrs. Tre- 
 dennick's extra special Indian tea, which had 
 travelled round the world in her own port- 
 manteau.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 KATHLEEN came down to breakfast next 
 morning with the feeling that a new era had 
 commenced in her life. Major Tredennick 
 had sent a message the night before that 
 she need not come to dinner; and, a few 
 minutes afterwards, Norah had appeared with 
 a tray of good things, which intimated that 
 he wished her to stay in her room. Kathleen 
 was rather surprised at his decision, but very 
 thankful to be left alone; for she felt nervous 
 and irritable, and was afraid she might say 
 something to her stepmother for which she 
 would be sorry after (on account of her 
 father), were Mrs. Tredennick to catechise 
 ftfer about Ray Clifford in her usual malapropos 
 manner. 
 
 222
 
 Like a Sister. 223 
 
 She was also astonished when Amy, on 
 giving her good-night kiss, made no allusion 
 to anything beyond hoping that dear Kitty 
 was better; and very much so when, at the 
 breakfast-table next day, Mrs. Tredennick 
 refrained from any awkward questionings. 
 The meal was eaten in almost absolute 
 silence, for somehow there seemed to be an 
 unusual constraint on each member of the 
 family, even down to the chatterbox; and 
 Kathleen was conscious of a feeling of relief 
 when it was over, and the boy had re- 
 moved the breakfast things. 
 
 She was leaving the room in quest of a 
 piece of needlework, for Kathleen's hands 
 were rarely idle, when Amy asked her 
 where she was going. 
 
 " To my room, to fetch that piece of old 
 Irish point I am altering for your mother, 
 dear," she replied. 
 
 u Oh ! work, work ; nothing but work 
 with you, Kitty. Always making up some- 
 thing for mamma, that no one but your- 
 self could or Avould do. Why don't you 
 be content to do nothing but amuse yourself, 
 like me?"
 
 224 Like a Sister. 
 
 * Suppose this is my idea of amusement?* 
 smilingly. 
 
 * Then, if it is, just deny yourself for 
 once ; put on your hat and come out shop- 
 ping with me. I can't stand this atmos- 
 phere any longer. No, no. It's not too 
 hot now, I didn't mean that. But I want 
 you to look at some Japanese curios, in one 
 of the shops Mr. Castleton recommended 
 to me yesterday. See! here is the card 
 with the name and address on it in English 
 and Chinese; so we can't go far astray. 
 I've got some money, Kitty; and I can't 
 rest until it's spent." 
 
 " Wait for half an hour, Amy. I can 
 accompany you. It would not be fair to 
 drag Kathleen out against her will," said 
 Mrs. Tredennick, before her stepdaughter 
 could answer. " Order the chairs to be 
 round at half-past ten, if you please, Richard. " 
 
 " Certainly, my dear," replied Major Tre- 
 dennick. " And, as you and Amy are going out 
 shopping, we can divide forces. I have nothing 
 to do this morning, for a wonder, and want 
 Kathleen to come for a walk with me. How soon 
 can you be ready ? " turning to his daughter.
 
 Like a Sister. 225 
 
 "In a moment," she replied. And she 
 left the room, wondering why her father 
 had spoken in such a peremptory tone. He 
 had seemed grave and preoccupied all break- 
 fast time, and his few remarks had been 
 addressed to Mrs. Tredennick and Amy, and 
 not directed chiefly to her, as was usual. 
 He had not even kissed her affectionately, 
 but had held down his cheek to receive her 
 morning salute in silence, though he had 
 certainly inquired how she felt. Yet, under 
 the tone of tender solicitude, she could detect 
 a note of bitter disappointment. 
 
 u I hope you are a good walker? " inquired 
 Major Tredennick when Kathleen had joined 
 him, and they were once outside the hotel. 
 
 * A famous one, " she replied smiling. " I 
 used to go very long distances at Allough." 
 
 " I should have thought Mademoiselle Tirer 
 was not fit for such excursions." 
 
 " Oh ! she never came with me, " replied 
 Kathleen, surprised. "I don't think I ever 
 knew of her walking more than a hundred 
 yards or so, for walking's sake. I used 
 to go alone generally." 
 
 "I should never have entrusted you to 
 
 VOL. I. 15
 
 226 Like a Sister. 
 
 the care of Mademoiselle, had I imagined she 
 would let you run wild." 
 
 " But indeed she did not ! " exclaimed 
 Kathleen indignantly, for she would have no 
 such imputation laid at her friend's door. 
 " Mademoiselle was like a mother to me the 
 only mother I ever knew and I was too 
 fond of her to do anything that I knew 
 would vex her. But she was too old and 
 feeble to join me in my rambling expedi- 
 tions, you know." 
 
 " I forgot that, " replied Major Tredennick, 
 sadly. "But I have no doubt you were 
 better without her," he added in a bitter 
 tone. " Kathleen! I brought you out this 
 morning because I have something particular 
 to ask you. I could not do so before your 
 sister. I daresay you understand what I mean. " 
 
 "It is about Mr. Clifford, father." With 
 the proud feeling in her heart that there 
 was nothing to be ashamed of, Kathleen 
 returned his steady gaze ; though the maiden 
 modesty, inherent in every young girl, made 
 it difficult for her to allude to the subject 
 
 her affections. 
 
 "You are right. And may I ask why it
 
 Like a Sister. 227 
 
 is that you have never told me of your 
 former acquaintance with him, and never 
 even mentioned his name as being stationed 
 out here now? You must have known he 
 was the same Ray Clifford Mr. Tomlynes 
 spoke of as his son's friend, when we were 
 on board; for there is only one of that name 
 in the Artillery. Your secrecy has surprised 
 and pained me, Kathleen ! " 
 
 " I am sorry you are vexed, father, " she 
 replied gently, after a pause, though the 
 ominous flush which dyed her down to the 
 finger-tips showed her feelings, as the words 
 did their instant repression. " But, if you 
 think a little, you will find I am not to 
 blame. You left me for twenty years to 
 my own devices; and never troubled to 
 inquire who were my friends or associates 
 you did not even write to me. Now, 
 when you find out by accident the name of 
 one of them, you are angry with me because 
 I did not tell you what you never asked 
 for. Though, " she continued, with her habi- 
 tual truthfulness, "I should not have cared 
 to tell you all about Mr. Clifford, if you had 
 inquired before to-day. "
 
 228 Like a Sister. 
 
 "I am well aware that I cannot expect 
 your confidence, when I would not even let 
 you write to me," he replied humbly. * But, 
 if you knew how I longed to have you with 
 me, all the time I was seeming to neglect 
 you, you would not judge me too harshly, 
 my dear. However, let that pass now. " 
 
 " I was very happy with Mademoiselle ; 
 and am certain you had a good reason for 
 leaving me," said Kathleen sweetly, trying 
 to divert his thoughts from the gloomy 
 channel into which they seemed to be drifting. 
 "But, father dear, how could I tell you 
 about Mr. Clifford when there was so little 
 to tell that I thought would interest you. 
 I met him first 
 
 " Never mind that, Kathleen. He told me 
 all about your acquaintance yesterday; and 
 that, by and by he had grown to love you 
 better than his own life only you had 
 forgotten your old playmate." 
 
 " He really said that ! " exclaimed Kathleen, 
 with her eyes sparkling and her cheeks like 
 June roses. "I thought he cared for me 
 once, but that he had forgotten me long ago. 
 This is my story, father. There is nothing
 
 Like a -Sister. 229 
 
 more to tell. " And the girl's mobile face 
 shadowed over for a moment at the remem- 
 brance. 
 
 Major Tredennick was silent. He now 
 saw the reason why Kathleen's love-story 
 had been hidden in her own bosom. And he 
 could not blame her. His own grief had 
 lain in the depths of his heart almost from 
 the time of her birth ; and, though he had 
 taken no one into his confidence up to the 
 day he had spoken of it to Mr. Tomlynes, 
 it had been always present with him as a 
 dark shadow, coming between him and 
 enjoyment. People may say that men cannot 
 suffer lastingly through their affections; but 
 they can and do, silently and secretly, with 
 a pain that is hidden out of sight, because 
 they are stronger than the majority of women. 
 That is, some few of them the rest marry 
 and forget their old love with more or less 
 rapidity the few as likely as not marry also 
 and always seem to have forgotten; unless 
 a chance brings it forward, as with this 
 man. He could see from the few words 
 Kathleen had let fall, and from the tone in 
 which they were uttered, that her grief must
 
 230 Like a Sister. 
 
 have been almost as deep as his own, though 
 she had borne herself so bravely that no 
 one could have suspected it. He could not 
 help feeling an admiration for the girl who, 
 though left so long without a father's care, 
 had crept into his lonely heart, and become 
 his ideal of a daughter. It was the dread 
 of losing his treasure almost as soon as he 
 had gained her, that had compelled him to 
 talk so bitterly to Kathleen. 
 
 "Father!" she said again, finding he did 
 not answer, u I hope you are not vexed, now 
 that you know everything. I certainly was 
 aware that Mr. Tomlynes' son's friend had 
 been my friend too, when he mentioned the 
 name. But I did not know where he was 
 stationed until that morning. I could not 
 have asked for particulars from Mr. Tomlynes, 
 though he is so good and kind. But, oh! 
 father, you know I could not have said 
 anything! " 
 
 "Yes, dear, I can quite understand it 
 now. And I do not want to distress you 
 with giving particulars even to me. I am 
 Satisfied with your explanation; though it 
 came hard on me at first, hearing you had
 
 Like a Sister. 231 
 
 been acquainted with young Clifford from 
 his own lips, and not knowing anything 
 about him from you beforehand. If you 
 knew the world better, you would under- 
 stand that when a woman fails to mention 
 her friends, it is because she is either 
 ashamed of them or ashamed of herself in 
 connection with them. In your case it 
 showed me how little I really knew of your 
 life at Allough." 
 
 "You surely do not think I am ashamed 
 of Ray ! " exclaimed Kathleen, her own con- 
 scious innocence telling her she had done no- 
 thing to make her ashamed of herself. 
 
 "You have shown me very clearly that 
 you are not. And you shall have no rea- 
 son to, I trust. The young man loved you; 
 you loved him in return; and then you 
 drifted apart as many do. You meet again r 
 after two years, and find your love has out- 
 lived the separation." 
 
 "But we haven't met yet! That's the 
 funny part of it," replied Kathleen, laugh- 
 ing in spite of herself. 
 
 " Why, neither you have, my dear! I 
 wonder what put it into my head that you
 
 232 Like a Sister. 
 
 had already done so. But it won't be long 
 before you do see each other, if I have my 
 will. In the meantime, you may take my 
 word for it that he will be as impatient as 
 you are." 
 
 "Does Mrs. Tredennick know anything 
 about this?" asked Kathleen. 
 
 "She has drawn her own conclusions 
 from what young Clifford said yesterday." 
 
 "And she does not approve of it." 
 
 "Decidedly not. What are you thinking 
 about, Kathleen?" 
 
 " Only that yes, I may as well tell you, 
 father I was wondering why she had said 
 nothing to me about Ray Clifford." 
 
 " She has not had much time. The story 
 is so new to us all," replied Major Treden- 
 nick evasively, not thinking it loyal to his 
 wife to add, that he had cautioned her not 
 to meddle with his daughter's affairs on this 
 occasion, until he had found out how mat- 
 ters had stood between the young people, 
 from Kathleen's own lips. 
 
 K That is just why I wondered at her si- 
 lehce, " she replied, unconvinced. " But she 
 can say nothing that will hurt us now."
 
 Like a Sister. 233 
 
 "Hush, my dear! You must be aware 
 that she has right on her side. I should be 
 neglecting my duty, Kathleen, if I failed to 
 point out to you that your marriage with 
 Mr. Clifford will be a very poor one in the 
 eyes of the world. He told me he would 
 have made you his wife two years ago (if 
 you had been willing), but for the fear of 
 dragging you into a life of poverty; at the 
 present moment he has just an additional 
 five hundred a year, which was left him 
 only the other day. But I never imagined 
 from what he said that you had cared for 
 him at any time." 
 
 " That was good of him, " replied Kath- 
 leen, understanding his delicacy in not wish- 
 ing to expose her ; while he told all his own 
 feelings without reserve to her father, on a 
 first acquaintance. " There was an engage- 
 ment between us, which has really never 
 been broken off. But marriage ! father. Do 
 give me time to think a little before we 
 mention it." 
 
 "I hope you will think of it very seri- 
 ously, Kathleen. For it is not a step to be 
 hurried into or lightly thought of. Real
 
 234 Like a Sister. 
 
 marriage is a union of souls. I was anxious 
 to speak to you fully this morning, because 
 I may not have an opportunity of seeing you 
 alone for a long time to come, owing to 
 our multitudinous engagements; and I could 
 not endure the suspense of waiting. But 
 you must weigh everything carefully, before 
 you decide on engaging yourself to Mr. 
 Clifford. Remember, I do not consider it an 
 engagement which was entered into without 
 my knowledge when you were eighteen. 
 You would laugh if Amy told you she had 
 given her affections to someone, and intented 
 to marry him." 
 
 "She is only a child; a dear sweet little 
 girl but only a child all the same. She 
 has no idea of such things. You can scarcely 
 compare us, father ! " said Kathleen loftily. 
 
 " Certainly not, my dear ; I was only 
 referring to age. But you seem to forget 
 that you have been brought up in the 
 country and, consequently, have no idea of 
 how much it costs to live in the outside world. * 
 
 "I know I am very ignorant of such 
 tm'ngs though I can cook, harness a horse,. 
 and make my own dresses most unladylike
 
 Like a Sister. 235 
 
 accomplishments, I hear. But I would never 
 marry Ray Clifford to be a drag on him. 
 Besides, he may not want me now," she 
 replied hesitatingly. 
 
 "He will certainly want you when he 
 knows you have not forgotten him. And I 
 am not one to throw cold water on your 
 happiness. " 
 
 " You are always so good to me, father, " 
 said Kathleen, lifting her beautiful eyes to his. 
 
 " Nonsense, dear, " brusquely. " Now, what 
 I wish you to do is this. You may 
 see young Clifford as often as you like, for 
 the next six months; but on the distinct 
 understanding that there is to be no formal 
 engagement between you. Wait a moment, 
 Kathleen," seeing she was about to speak. 
 "It is not that I have any objection to 
 your choice. He is a fine, manly fellow ; and 
 a gentleman. Mr. Tomlynes has the highest 
 opinion of him. And, as it is natural that 
 you will marry and leave me some day, my 
 great anxiety is that your husband may be 
 competent to take care of you." 
 
 " Then why lay such a restriction on me ? 
 It seems as if you did not trust him."
 
 236 Like a Sister. 
 
 u On the contrary, I trust you both. And 
 I know you will do what I ask when I believe 
 it is for your own good. I wish you to 
 have time to know your own mind, and 
 to become thoroughly acquainted with each 
 other, now in your altered position, before you 
 pledge yourself to anything so serious as a 
 marriage contract." 
 
 u But we are pledged already ! " 
 
 "That does not count as a formal en- 
 gagement. " 
 
 "It is none the less sacred than if you 
 had known of it." 
 
 " I believe you, my dear. Yet you know 
 nothing of the world. Clifford is the only 
 young man whom you have ever had a chance 
 of meeting, until now. Don't be angry! I 
 am not doubting your constancy; I think 
 you are constituted like me I never really 
 forget my friends. But you must have a 
 chance of meeting others on equal grounds ; men 
 fight shy of engaged girls. I do not intend 
 anything to be given out before the six 
 months are over. In the meantime, you and 
 Mr\ Clifford can be as friendly as you please, 
 if you really wish to be so ; but you must
 
 Like a Sister. 237 
 
 act like mere acquaintances before people." 
 "I cannot. It would be acting a lie." 
 . " I do not see that at all. You may con- 
 sider yourself engaged, if you choose; though 
 I strongly advise you to wait a little so as 
 to be quite certain you know your own mind. 
 My only restriction is that you say nothing 
 about it to outsiders, for the present. The 
 condition is not a hard one, Kathleen. I 
 thought you would have done that much 
 for me." 
 
 " Oh ! if that is all, I do not mind. 
 What is it to people I scarcely know 
 whether I am engaged or not ? They will not 
 care one way or other. I had no idea that 
 is what you meant by a formal engagement, 
 father, " said Kathleen, rather mystified. For 
 her country rearing had never taught her 
 that an engagement is not considered secure 
 until all the relations, as well as the family 
 circle, have ratified it with the kiss of con- 
 gratulation; and the entire body of friends 
 and acquaintances have added their hand- 
 shake more or less sincere in each case, 
 according to circumstances and disposition. 
 Not that this was what Major Tredennick
 
 238 Like a Sister. 
 
 meant. He was simply anxious that the 
 young people should know their own minds, 
 as he had said; and no unworthy motive 
 prompted his desire to keep the matter a 
 secret for the next six months. He had, 
 certainly, a great dislike to the private af- 
 fairs of his household being discussed by 
 outsiders; but he did not take it into con- 
 sideration that if they were denied that 
 pleasure, it might come hard on some of 
 them. His daughter was beautiful; as a 
 natural consequence men would fall in love 
 with her. They would have far more hope 
 of winning her if they knew she was free. 
 But the father thought only of his daugh- 
 ter's happiness, and not at all about the 
 disappointed suitors ; or Mrs. Grundy either, 
 who, if she knew the story of Kathleen's 
 engagement, would not fail to malign her, 
 in the usual kind and generous fashion, for 
 having obeyed the promptings of her heart, 
 no matter how innocently, while unacknow- 
 ledged by paternal sanction. 
 
 Neither did Kathleen dream of any unfairness 
 to others under the present arrangement. 
 She had never known a young man of her
 
 Like a Sister. 239 
 
 own class until she met Clifford ; and, with 
 him, her interest in the male sex as possible 
 lovers had begun and ended. Her bringing 
 up had been too simple and innocent, and 
 her nature too frank and open to have turned 
 her into a flirt if she had had opportunity 
 which was not obtainable at Allough. Her 
 lonely life had not made her prudish either, 
 for self-consciousness was quite apart from 
 her character. She was not at all shy in 
 the presence of men ; and would have faced 
 a roomful of them with the same equanimity 
 as a roomful of women, from her childhood 
 up. She looked upon them in the light of 
 brothers, and treated them as such. Her 
 training, no doubt, had a great deal to do 
 with this ; for Mademoiselle had instilled her 
 with healthy principles on other subjects ; and 
 her seclusion had spared her the daily pre- 
 cept and example of the match-making 
 mammas and servilely obedient daughters 
 who throng society to overflowing. Still, 
 no circumstances could ever have made her 
 either a prude or a coquette, each of the 
 two opposites being a character too weak 
 and petty to be in harmony with her nature.
 
 240 Like a Sister. 
 
 So Kathleen was rather pleased than 
 otherwise that outsiders were not to hear 
 of her engagement. It was not their business ; 
 and she did not feel at all called upon to 
 gratify their idle curiosity never dreaming, 
 in her single-mindedness, that she might be 
 committing a grave wrong upon some of 
 them. But, there was no knowing that 
 Amy had not already chattered about her 
 early acquaintance with Ray Clifford, if she 
 had found anyone to talk to in the mean- 
 time ; that might make things awkward. A 
 fear of this made Kathleen ask her father if 
 he was aware that she knew everything. 
 
 u \ did not know it. But it makes no 
 matter; for, in any case, I would have told 
 her. You need not be afraid of her saying 
 anything to outsiders, my dear; for I have 
 laid her under strict injunctions not to chatter 
 about Mr. Clifford. Now, I hope you are 
 quite satisfied with my decision? " 
 
 * Yes, perfectly. " 
 
 " And, of course, I will help you as much as 
 I am able, so as to have a little money of your 
 own if you get married. But you must 
 remember that I am anything but a rich man. "
 
 Like a Sister. 
 
 11 Oh ! Father, I don't want it indeed I 
 don't! If Ray really loves me he must 
 take me without a penny." 
 
 " And be proud to get you, I am sure. 
 But my daughter shall not go as a pauper 
 to any man. However, we shall have plenty 
 of time to talk of money matters after the 
 six months are up. Perhaps you may both 
 change your minds before then, and you 
 may find somebody who will suit you better 
 than a poor soldier." 
 
 " Don't, father ! You knoiv I for one 
 shall never change. I could not if I would. 
 My love is stronger than my will." And 
 she thought how ineffectual her strivings to 
 stifle it had been in the past. 
 
 " So many things happen in six months, my 
 dear. But I should not have spoken like that, 
 Kathleen. Be happy while you can; and 
 love with all your heart now you are satis- 
 fied that the object is worthy. After all 
 there is nothing like love ! * And the poor 
 man who knew what it was to lose the 
 love of his life sighed bitterly. 
 
 " Father! " said Kathleen, reverently, know- 
 ing by instinct, what he was thinking of, 
 
 VOL. I. 16
 
 242 Like a Sister. 
 
 "you are the only parent I have perhaps 
 that is why you are so dear to me. I have 
 never known my mother. Will you tell me 
 about her?" and, in . her earnestness, she 
 laid a hand persuasively on his arm and 
 looked up at him with her mother's eyes. 
 
 " Hush, my dear! " he replied, in a whisper, 
 as if she had spoken loudly in the presence 
 of the dead. * Your mother was an angel. 
 She came to me for a while ; but the world 
 was too rough for her; and so she went 
 back again to her own home. That is all 
 I may tell you now, Kathleen; you cannot 
 understand my feelings. Marriage is either 
 a heaven or a hell there is no between. 
 Perhaps when you are happily married, and 
 have a little child of your own, you may 
 realize what the thought of losing the father 
 of that child would cost you. May God 
 spare you the reality ! " 
 
 Kathleen was awed into silence by this 
 disclosure. She had imagined her own mother 
 as someone very different from Mrs. Tre- 
 dennick; and she had thought her father 
 >nust have cared for her differently too. 
 But she attributed his grave and sometimes
 
 Like a Sister. 243 
 
 weary manner to disposition and the worry 
 of his wife's incessant tongue; and by no 
 means to an early sorrow. He must have 
 forgotten that, at least for a while if 
 indeed it ever existed and have loved 
 once more in a fashion, or he would never 
 have married again. She had yet to know, 
 poor girl, that true love does not always 
 constitute early marriage any more than 
 marriage is able to retain early love. 
 
 Major Tredennick was thinking too, but 
 chiefly about his daughter. 
 
 "I trust she may be happy," he said to 
 himself, " and that her happiness shall last 
 longer than mine did. I hope and trust so. 
 But I wish her eyes were not violet. They 
 used to tell me at Allough that violet eyes 
 meant trouble. A striving for others and 
 happiness through that, perhaps; but mis- 
 fortune in love and no real life of one's own. 
 And she has had her trouble, poor child, 
 for the last two years. Perhaps it is over 
 now ; and she may have happiness for the 
 rest of her life. I trust so ! But no one 
 can tell what it will cost me to lose her. 
 She must never know; it is for her good,
 
 244 Like a Sister. 
 
 I believe; and the young people shall not 
 be hindered by selfishness. Now, Kathleen ! " 
 he said aloud, in his usual grave voice, " I 
 find it is hotter than I expected. As we 
 have settled everything to our mutual satis- 
 faction suppose we turn back and try and 
 find our way to one of the upper roads where 
 there is more shade. Or would you rather 
 go straight home?" 
 
 "Oh! no. But I have lost our bearings. 
 Shall we have to go through the whole town 
 again to get into the country the other side?" 
 
 " Not by any means," he replied, laugh- 
 ing at the idea. u We can take a short 
 cut up the hill somewhere near and get 
 among the palms almost directly. But it is 
 no use keeping on as we are; for I am 
 sure neither of us feel equal to a walk 
 round the island this time of day. Besides, 
 I scarcely know my way about yet, and 
 you have never been so far out this side 
 before. " 
 
 " Shall we take the tram, and go up to 
 the Peak?" 
 
 4 " A good idea. " And they retraced their 
 steps.
 
 Like a Sister. 245 
 
 " I'm afraid we are rather late now, " 
 exclaimed Kathleen when they had gone 
 some way in the direction of home and had 
 not yet found a road to their liking which 
 led to the upper level. Her eyes had 
 caught a flash of gold that seemed to be 
 travelling towards them. It was unmistak- 
 ably Amy, who had popped her head from 
 under the roof of her chair to talk to her 
 mother who was riding along side ; and the 
 sunlight shining on her hair made it gleam 
 and shimmer in the distance. There could 
 be no long walk after this; for mother and 
 daughter liked to save their own feet in 
 the morning, and one, at least, of them 
 would feel aggrieved were she left again 
 after such a chance meeting. 
 
 " So this is the way you came, Richard ! " 
 cried Mrs. Tredennick, when they were near 
 enough to exchange words. " 1 must say I 
 don't admire your locality for a walk when 
 there is no shopping to be done. But I 
 daresay you made the walk an excuse to go 
 shopping on your own account. What has 
 your father bought you now, Kathleen?" 
 
 " Nothing this time, I assure you. "
 
 246 Like a Sister. 
 
 "Then, perhaps, he was going to; or 
 looking about for a likely shop, as Amy and 
 I are. We thought we would try this side of 
 the place before going into China Town Pro- 
 per as Mr. Dilke calls it. But there seems 
 to be nothing but English-looking shops 
 about here, so I think we may turn back 
 and come with you and your father. Hi, you 
 coolie ! turnee roundee, comee backee ! Tur- 
 nee roundee, I say!" cried Mrs. Tredennick, 
 raising her voice to the chair-bearers until 
 the last words were elevated into a posi- 
 tive shriek. " The brutes actually won't do 
 what I tell them, Richard. Make them 
 turn! Take your stick to them." 
 
 " Wait a moment, Lucy. They don't 
 understand you, that is all." And Major 
 Tredennick, by sundry pointings and ges- 
 ticulations made the coolies see what his 
 wife wanted. "That's all right now." 
 
 " They must be very stupid, " said Mrs. 
 Tredennick wrathfully, " for Mr. Dilke told 
 me yesterday that one had only to put an 
 V at the end of every word, and they would 
 Know what was meant. They're not a patch 
 on Indian servants. Many a time I've advised
 
 Like a Sifter. 247 
 
 new-comers to emphasize their orders with 
 a sunshade or a slipper until they learnt 
 the language properly, with good result too ! 
 But the boy at the hotel actually folded his 
 arms and looked at me back when I took 
 up a cover-dish to him. And he understood 
 English; think of that! It's simply mon- 
 strous! Our servants are never like any- 
 body else's. I'll have them all discharged 
 to-morrow. " 
 
 " After all, there's nothing like politeness, 
 mamma, and showing them that you consider 
 them human beings," said Amy, saucily. 
 " If you had called them 'man man' instead 
 of 'brute beast' they would have done 
 anything for you." 
 
 " Don't talk nonsense, child ! " 
 
 " It's quite true. The other day when 
 I was with Captain Hazeldene I dropped 
 my hat out of the chair; and the more I 
 yelled * stop, stop ! ' to the coolies the harder 
 they tore along. But he merely called them 
 'man man' in that soft, persuasive voice 
 of his; and they toned down from a wild 
 and furious jog-trot to a stately promenade." 
 
 "I suppose they understood you to say
 
 248 Like a Sister. 
 
 'chop-chop', which means 'hurry up' in these 
 parts of the world, I believe, " said Major 
 Tredennick, smiling. * And, now that I re- 
 member it, some one did tell me the other day 
 that 'man man' means 'take your time'- 
 or something of that sort. * 
 
 " Father ! you always spoil things, " pouted 
 Amy. 
 
 "Never mind, little woman. We shall 
 all know how to talk pidgin English this 
 time next year." 
 
 " I should hope so, indeed ! Now, father, 
 I'm going to get down and walk beside 
 Kitty. May I talk to her about you know?" 
 
 * Oh ! yes ; anything you like. Go on the 
 path, both of you, in the shade. I want to 
 talk to your mother." 
 
 " I wish you to know, Lucy, that I am 
 perfectly satisfied with Kathleen's explanation 
 about young Clifford. " And Major Tredennick 
 gave his wife a full account of the plans 
 he had formed with regard to the lovers. 
 
 " All I can say, Richard, " was her final 
 reply, when his narrative, interrupted by 
 various notes of surprise and disapprobation, 
 was at last finished, " is that you have taken
 
 Like a Sister. 249 
 
 the bull by the horns to repeat the very 
 elegant expression you used to me the other 
 day. How this young pauper will thank 
 you for being so tender-hearted and having 
 everything arranged for him, before he asks 
 your consent, or even meets your daughter ! 
 And she helping you too! There used to 
 be such a thing as maiden modesty in my 
 young days not so very long ago either 
 but it seems to have gone out of fashion 
 lately. No wonder he took her coolly the 
 last few years." 
 
 " Have you finished, my dear?" asked 
 Major Tredennick, calmly. 
 
 " Of course you take Kathleen's part 
 against me; I might have known that by 
 this time," said Mrs. Tredennick, angrily, 
 from the depths of her chair. * But she is 
 not my daughter, so I don't much care whom 
 she marries. Only she might have done 
 better for the good of the house. If it had 
 been Mr. Venn now! A millionaire! And 
 she might have had him. He is on the 
 look-out for a wife to take care of him; 
 I'm sure he wants it, poor man, when he 
 is so subject to those nasty colds. Dear
 
 250 Like a Sister. 
 
 me ! what fools girls are ! But I shall take 
 care that Amy does not fall in love with a 
 detrimental ; though the dear child has more 
 sense on her own account." 
 
 " I know Kathleen could have done much 
 better in the eyes of the world, for she is 
 very beautiful," said Major Tredennick mus- 
 ingly. " But, if she is happy, I am quite 
 content. " 
 
 " Oh ! she not bad looking as girls go- 
 fer those who admire the touch-me-not 
 style, " disparagingly, a but my little girl 
 would grace a coronet." 
 
 Meanwhile the stepsisters were chatting 
 together as they walked under the shady 
 verandas that overhung the side-path; or, 
 rather, Amy was chattering and allowing 
 Kathleen to put in a word here and there. 
 
 " You may believe me or not, Kitty, but he 
 is perfectly hideous. Ask father's opinion," 
 said Amy teasingly. 
 
 " Don't you think that, as I've waited so 
 long, I had better wait a little longer and 
 judge for myself?" smiling down on her. 
 
 " That's just it, my poor sister ! You can't 
 have an idea how he looks now," in a voice
 
 Like a Sister. 251 
 
 of grave commiseration. u If I were to tell 
 you he has a cork leg, a glass eye, and 
 squints horribly with the other one 
 
 * I certainly shouldn't believe you. " 
 
 " Oh ! " with a lengthened intonation, u but 
 he's bald anyhow!" 
 
 * Mr. Venn declares that's a sign of in- 
 tellect; so I don't mind. 
 
 "Ah! poor man; he can't be a good 
 judge," said Amy, with a shudder. "But 
 comparisons are odious; eh, Kitty?" 
 
 "Decidedly," she replied, with a proud 
 feeling in her heart that Ray Clifford could 
 bear comparisons with any man. 
 
 " At any rate you can't say he's as hand- 
 some as Mr. Castleton," cried Amy, nodding 
 her head with comical decision. 
 
 u Mr. Castleton ! Let me see who that is. 
 Oh ! yes, I remember now ; the beauty man. 
 I'm afraid poor Ray must give place to your 
 beau ideal in mere animal beauty." 
 
 u You are jealous ! " exclaimed Amy, with 
 a flash of real anger, at the unlucky word 
 u animal. " 
 
 " Of whom, pray?" asked Kathleen, amused. 
 
 "0, I don't know! of nobody, I mean,"
 
 252 Like a Sister. 
 
 in confusion. u I agree with you, Kitty ; 
 comparisons are odious. But Mr. Clifford is 
 really not so very bad looking, after all," 
 added Amy condescendingly. 
 
 u I'm glad you are not so very much dis- 
 pleased with my choice," said Kathleen, 
 laughingly imitating her sister's tone and 
 gesture. 
 
 " No, dear. I'm quite satisfied if you are. 
 And, if ever I break through my vow not 
 to marry (which isn't at all likely), I shall 
 do just as you have done, and please myself. "
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A YOUNG officer, apparently about five 
 and twenty, was leaving his quarters in the 
 Artillery Barracks a few days later, when 
 his boy handed him a note. 
 
 " Another invitation ! " he said to himself, 
 turning the envelope round. "Don't know 
 the writing though." 
 
 "Sign, sab!" said the servant, with true 
 Celestial blandness producing a pencil, and 
 the open chitbook. 
 
 And the young fellow initialed the vacant 
 space opposite his name, with a thought of 
 the good old postal arrangements in England, 
 where one can get letters five times a day 
 or so without such precautions to ensure 
 their safe delivery. As he closed the neat 
 
 253
 
 254 Like a Sister. 
 
 new chit-book, his eyes fell on the bright 
 gilt letters forming a name on the leather- 
 bound cover. 
 
 " Mrs. Tredennick ! " he ejaculated, when 
 the boy had departed with the book. 
 * Then it must be from her stepmother. 
 Yes, I thought so," he said to himself as 
 he read, " 'Major and Mrs. Tredennick request 
 the pleasure of Mr. Clifford's company to 
 dinner en famille on the 4 th December, at 
 seven o'clock.' Why, that's to day. 'At 
 seven o'clock.' What an extraordinary way 
 of wording it! Stiff and formal enough for 
 a few hours' invitation, I declare ! She was 
 actually putting 'request the honour', but 
 scratched that out and substituted 'pleasure.' 
 Perhaps it's not a pleasure to her. She 
 didn't seem to like me. ' En famille seven 
 o'clock', quoting the chit. 'Well! It's the 
 oddest invitation I ever got in my life! A 
 ludicrous combination of formality and friend- 
 liness. I'm not sure whether to accept it 
 or not; but I must not keep the lady 
 waiting for an answer," and he strode back 
 to his room. 
 
 A fine looking young fellow he was;
 
 Like a Sister. 255 
 
 strong and manly, with the firm erect car- 
 riage of a soldier, and the quiet, easy bear- 
 ing of a gentleman. A man to be depended 
 on was the first impression he gave one 
 on a glance at the steady grey eyes and 
 clear cut lips. A man to be trusted first 
 and loved afterwards for only Ray Clifford's 
 friends knew the real sweetness of a char- 
 acter that was veiled under a somewhat 
 cold and distant manner to strangers. Yet 
 no one could be a greater favourite among his 
 fellows than he was. If the young subs got 
 into a difficulty he was the person instinc- 
 tively called upon to help them out of it, 
 although he could not boast many years 
 seniority. If anything was to be got up in 
 the way of sports, dancing, theatricals, Ray 
 Clifford must have a prominent position 
 assigned him, for "he's such a capital fel- 
 low all round, you know, and enters so 
 thoroughly into everything. " No wonder this 
 indispensable young man was crowded with 
 engagements; and, as he hunted about the 
 room for writing materials, (which had been 
 tidily put out of sight by his trusted domes- 
 tic) he remembered that, in all probabi-
 
 256 Like a Sister. 
 
 lity, he could not accept Mrs. Tredennick's 
 'kind' invitation. 
 
 This thought led him to the overmantel 
 not the usual luxuriant, mirrored article of 
 furniture known by that name ; but a cabinet 
 arrangement in the middle, flanked by a 
 double row of useful shelves on each side, 
 which had been fashioned out of white wood 
 and varnished by its owner to suit his limited 
 purse and his own requirements. The lower 
 left hand shelf belonging to this edifice (the 
 only untidy morsel in an austerely simple 
 room) was studded round with envelopes of 
 various sizes, standing, reclining, lying in 
 artistic confusion. Ray Clifford took up half 
 a dozen of these notes from the extreme left, 
 which space was devoted to the week's 
 engagements, opened them, and looked relieved 
 after a glance at their contents. 
 
 * The only evening at my disposal this 
 week. I am in luck to be able to accept. 
 Shall I? that is the question." And, 
 replacing the letters, he unlocked and opened 
 the middle cabinet. Then drawing from his 
 ^pocket another key, much smaller, and curious 
 in shape, he inserted it into an inner drawer
 
 Like a Sister. 257 
 
 hidden from view by the outside doors; 
 opened it in turn, and took from the bottom 
 some old photograph plates and a mounted 
 cabinet portrait. The plates he put in again, 
 touching them carefully, gingerly, as though 
 afraid of a crack by the mere contact; the 
 photograph he brought out, with a tender 
 hand; and gazed at it long and fixedly. 
 
 " Kathleen ! " he said, softly, as if speaking 
 to the image that seemed to be smiling back 
 at him. " Oh ! my darling, you cannot be 
 false with a face like that. And yet But 
 I shall put an end to this suspense. I will 
 go to-night." And, gently replacing the 
 portrait, he went round the room again in 
 search of the missing note paper; which was 
 at last discovered reposing under a large 
 book on the top of the writing-table. 
 
 Kathleen was ready dressed for dinner, 
 and was sitting in the apartment designated 
 breakfast, dining, or drawing-room by her 
 stepmother at different parts of the day 
 (for the hotel was so much in its chronic 
 state of fulness that the Tredennicks had 
 been unable to secure further accommodation) 
 when the big clock in the adjacent tower 
 
 VOL. I. 17
 
 258 Like a Sister. 
 
 sounded half-past six. She sat by the window 
 so as to get the best light for the delicate 
 piece of lace she was still engaged at; and 
 the curtain partly screened her from view. 
 A state of suppressed excitement would be 
 a mild way of expressing her feelings; for 
 the beating of her heart caused the needle 
 to move about into jerky, uneven stitches, 
 which Mrs. Tredennick would be sure to 
 comment on by and by. 
 
 It was by her father's desire that Ray 
 Clifford had been asked for seven, with the 
 laudable Wish of giving the young people 
 an hour to themselves before dinner. So 
 Mrs. Tredennick and Amy were only going 
 to dress when Kathleen was fully equipped. 
 She had not set eyes on Ray yet; for her 
 stepmother strongly objected to asking him 
 to the house, and had only done so on 
 pressure. This was indicated by the peculiarly 
 worded invitation, which was delivered at 
 the last moment in the hopes that he would 
 either have an engagement, on understand 
 he was not wanted the hostess' duty being 
 fulfilled in the letter. She might have spared 
 herself the trouble of cogitating how she
 
 Like a Sister. 259 
 
 could obey her husband and yet defy him as 
 far as Ray Clifford was concerned; for love 
 will break stronger obstacles than ill-nature 
 and bad-breeding. 
 
 How the time seemed to drag for the 
 solitary figure at the window. She tried to 
 work, but threw it down in disgust; then 
 took it up again, with the same result. "I 
 can't see," she said finally, as an excuse to 
 herself, when she laid it on the sill for the 
 last time. A knock came to the door. Her 
 heart seemed to stand still ; and she strained 
 her eyes to catch the first glimpse of the 
 expected one. Bah! It was only the boy, 
 after all, who had come to light up. As 
 he approached the window to pull down the 
 blind Kathleen got up off her chair and 
 intimated that she would do so. 
 
 "Yah! Missee," he ejaculated, drawing 
 back, with as much surprise and fright as 
 were consistent with his nature, for he had 
 not noticed the white-robed figure in the 
 corner. 
 
 "What's the time, boy?" asked Kathleen 
 in a voice which did not sound like her 
 own. She had been minutely examining her
 
 260 Like a Sister. 
 
 watch a minute before, but felt almost as if 
 she could ask the Chinaman to sit down and 
 converse with her, so as to make it creep 
 less slowly. 
 
 " Quatah seben, Missee," he answered, as 
 he left the room with a doubt in his mind 
 as to whether he had not really spoken to 
 a bogie after all. 
 
 u A quarter to seven, " repeated the girl 
 to herself, as she sat down again. " Fifteen 
 minutes. Let me see how many seconds. 
 Nine hundred, actually ! What shall I do to 
 pass the time? There's no piano," and her 
 eyes swept every corner of the room to 
 assure herself of a fact that was patent to 
 everyone. " There are only two battered 
 old novels which Amy bought at the rail- 
 way station in London; and I've read them 
 or tried to ! " as she glanced at the 
 table. 'How will Ray look? What shall I 
 say to him? oh! I mustn't think of that 
 again; for I've thought and thought and 
 thought it all over so many times that I'm 
 .afraid I'll get confused and do something 
 silly. One minute up ! eight hundred and 
 forty seconds to come. I know what to do
 
 Like a Sister. 261 
 
 now ; I'll count, * and, concentrating her 
 mind on the figures as well as she could, 
 Kathleen fixed her eyes on the second hand 
 of her watch, and began counting " One, two 
 three, four," up to sixty, with an energy that 
 would have done credit to a child of twenty 
 months. "Another minute up! One, two, 
 three, four suppose he doesn't come after 
 all! He disappointed me once. How foolish 
 I am! What a baby! Why don't I put it 
 up to my ear, and listen to the ticking, as 
 little Sally Maloney used to do? Oh! I 
 should like to shake myself!" she cried, in- 
 dignant at her weakness and want of self- 
 control, and her hand was stretched out 
 for the neglected work, when, with a pre- 
 liminary knock, the door opened for the 
 second time, and the boy announced, 
 
 "Mistah Cliffold." 
 
 Kathleen rose up noiselessly from her 
 seat behind the curtains, and stood between 
 them a fair picture in a lace frame. In 
 her excitement she seized hold of the 
 hangings, one in each hand, as if to sup- 
 port herself with the frail fabric. 
 
 A loud creak was the result.
 
 262 Like a Sister. 
 
 Ray Clifford glanced towards the spot 
 indicated, and, perceiving the white vision 
 for the first time, came forward with a glad 
 light in his eyes. 
 
 But Kathleen, still clinging to the cur- 
 tains and scarcely knowing what she did, 
 backed, as he approached, until she came 
 against the window blind. 
 
 The young man stopped short, and, look- 
 ing at her steadily, with a keen penetrating 
 gaze that spoke nothing of the great hunger 
 at his heart, said coldly, 
 
 " Don't take so much trouble to show 
 your aversion, Miss Tredennick. I shall 
 remember my place in future. But I hope 
 you will pardon me for having for a moment 
 forgotten the present in thinking of the time 
 when you would not shrink from me. It 
 shah 1 not occur again." 
 
 "Ray!" 
 
 Only one word. But the tone in which 
 it was uttered told him everything. 
 
 " Kathleen ! my darling ! " he exclaimed 
 
 \with a wild, rapturous intonation. Then, 
 
 going softly towards her as though afraid of 
 
 startling her again, he disengaged her hands
 
 Like a Sister. 263 
 
 gently from the curtains, and, taking one 
 of them in his own, drew her towards him. 
 
 "Come and let me look at you," he said 
 tenderly, drawing her out of the shadow. 
 "How you are trembling, my love! There!" 
 and, putting his arm round her, he held her 
 closely to him. 
 
 The girl's head drooped until it rested on 
 his shoulder; she felt she was safe at last. 
 The man knew there was no need for ex- 
 planations now. For a moment both were 
 silent, too happy to speak; and having no 
 words to express themselves. 
 
 "Ray! " said Kathleen, presently, in a 
 whisper, from her harbour of refuge. 
 
 "What it is, dearest?" 
 
 " Let me go, please, " in a firmer voice. 
 
 He released her instantly. 
 
 She drew back a few paces, and stood 
 facing him in the pride of her queenly 
 beauty; gazing at him with her whole soul 
 in her eyes. 
 
 " Stay there ! " she commanded, with a 
 wave of the hand, as he was about to follow 
 her. 
 
 "Well, Katie?" in a quizzical tone.
 
 264 Like a 
 
 * Don't move. I want to look at you.* 
 Beginning your old tyranny over me 
 
 already.* he said, smiling, as he obeyed her. 
 
 ' Why, you are just the same as ever. 
 Rav!* exclaimed Kathleen, with a sigh of 
 retiel 'Only * and she stopped. 
 
 'Only what? r 
 
 * Oh ! nothing. It's rather an improvement, 
 I think.* 
 
 'What is an improvement? You must 
 tell me.* 
 
 *Your moustache. That is alL* replied 
 Kathleen, her eves dancing with mischief. 
 " It has grown out of all recognition. Do 
 you remember. Bay. what Bella and Mabel 
 used to call it? The cricket match eleven 
 on each side, you know.* 
 
 *I think it COM boast more than that 
 r.* he and, stroking the very respectable 
 proudly. And they both 
 
 out of the very happiness of 
 
 'And you.* sad Bay, after a pause in 
 they were both thinking how modi 
 weightier were their thoughts than the 
 frivolous words might imply. " are the
 
 Like a Sister. 265 
 
 and yet not the same. You have the same 
 eyes and the same mouth, and, yet, some- 
 how the expression is different. I can't 
 express myself, dear. Tour character is not 
 changed I can see that but it seems to 
 have deepened. Perhaps it is because you 
 were only a slip of a girl at Allough; now 
 you are a woman and such a woman. 
 Kathleen! I always knew you were beau- 
 tiful; but not even my fondest imagination 
 could picture you as you are at present." 
 
 " The colt, your mother used to call me : 
 and I suppose my legs were too long for my 
 body in those days. But, after all, dress 
 makes such a difference." 
 
 * I never thought of that. And you are 
 wearing my favourite flower, a maiden blush 
 rose. I noticed it the first moment." 
 
 "You don't seem to remember that it is 
 over two years since you saw me last. " said 
 Kathleen a little bitterly. " Sit down oppo- 
 site, Ray. I want to talk to you." 
 
 "Am I likely to forget it?" he asked, 
 hoarsely, relapsing into stiffness as he seated 
 himself. 
 
 'You were very cruel to me, Ray," she
 
 266 Like a Sister. 
 
 could not refrain from saying, while her 
 eyes grew moist at the remembrance. 
 
 "I cruel! my darling! It was for your 
 own good. I could not have married you 
 then ; my prospects were so poor it would 
 have been simple beggary for you. And 
 you could not have taken it so much to 
 heart when you never answered my letters. " 
 
 "You never replied to mine, you mean." 
 
 "I wrote to you four times from Dover, 
 and did not get a single line in return. So 
 I came to the conclusion that you intended 
 to have nothing more to do with a poor 
 subaltern, then or at any future time. But 
 it would have been kinder if you had told 
 me so in plain words, than to have left me 
 to imagine it." 
 
 " You did write then ! I am so thankful. 
 I thought you would explain it, Ray, if I 
 could only see you. There has been a mistake 
 somewhere. You wrote to me, and I wrote 
 to you; we never got each other's letters. 
 But I don't mind no, not a thousandth part 
 as much! now that I know you were not 
 to blame," and she drew her chair close up 
 to his.
 
 Like a Sister. 267 
 
 "You doubted me, Kathleen?" he said 
 reproachfully. 
 
 " Could I help it?" And she gave him 
 a brief outline of what she had gone through, 
 veiling over her wretchedness as well as 
 she could. But Ray knew from her manner 
 that much was held back so as not to pain 
 him, and his heart went out in love and pity. 
 
 " My poor darling ! " he said tenderly, 
 taking her hand and holding it fast in his, 
 " how you must have suffered ! It was hard 
 enough for me, God knows ; but then I had 
 my work to keep me busy. And you, in 
 that great lonely castle, with the sea 
 roaring night and day ! It would have driven 
 me mad ? Kathleen." 
 
 "My sorrow made me work too," she 
 replied simply, "I could not bear to be idle 
 one moment after you left me, Ray." 
 
 * It is well neither of us was to blame for the 
 separation. But there is evidently something 
 wrong about the mails at Allough. Where 
 did you post your letters, Kathleen ? " 
 
 " Let me see. Oh ! I remember ; Mademoi- 
 selle was not at all strong that autumn, 
 and I could not leave her long enough to
 
 268 Like a Sister. 
 
 go to the post-office which is, as you know, 
 four miles off. So I gave them to Bridget 
 to post when she went out marketing. 1 ' 
 
 "She is trustworthy. But are you sure 
 she took them herself?" 
 
 " Quite certain ; unless when she was too 
 busy to go ; then she sent Norah. " 
 
 * Ah ! that explains it, " said Clifford, with 
 a light breaking over his face. ft Norah 
 delivered the letters at the house also?" 
 
 "She may have done so occasionally that 
 autumn, * replied Kathleen doubtfully, " be- 
 cause Mademoiselle's illness made a great 
 deal more work at the Castle, and Bridget 
 had her up to help sometimes. We always 
 had to send for the letters, you remember ; 
 so Bridget may have told her to call at the 
 post-office when she sent her out shopping. 
 But Norah would not do such a thing as 
 to suppress my letters. Why should she?" 
 
 "She is a young woman I would not 
 trust the length of my finger, " replied 
 Clifford, ignoring the question, "and I only 
 wish I could see her to give her a piece of 
 mV mind." 
 
 / 
 
 "You will not have far to look for her,
 
 Like a Sister. 269 
 
 Bay. She is now only a few rooms off, 
 installed as Mrs. Tredennick's maid. 9 
 
 " Out here ? * in astonishment. " I pity 
 you ! I shall certainly tackle her about the 
 letters." 
 
 "Yon must not accuse the girl without 
 proof,* said Kathleen firmly. "Nevermind 
 what became of the letters at present; besides, 
 all the trouble is over now, dear. Tell me 
 what you said in them. 9 
 
 "They were chiefly about my prospects; 
 one letter was very nearly a copy of the 
 other. I knew you loved me at Allough ; 
 and I would not give you up without a 
 struggle. So, when I had had time to get 
 an answer and none came, I wrote again, 
 three times more, always giving time for a 
 reply between each letter. As I received 
 no. reply to any one of them, I thought 
 you had intimated pretty plainly your desire 
 to put an end to everything between us. 9 
 
 * Tell me exactly what you said, Ray !" 
 
 " It amounted to this. That I would not 
 be able to many you for years as we were 
 situated with regard to money matters; and, 
 that at any time you wished to break off
 
 270 Like a Sister. 
 
 our engagement I could not do less than 
 set you free under the circumstances. But 
 no one could ever take your place in my 
 affections as long as I lived. I could not 
 help adding that, Kathleen ; and I have known 
 the truth of it ever since. But it was not 
 like you to keep me without ^in answer 
 unless, perhaps, you thought I had done 
 something not to deserve one. However, 
 I could do nothing as I was then circum- 
 stanced. But I wrote to you again, not long 
 ago, from here." 
 
 " And that other letter, Ray ? The one 
 you wrote from here ?" she asked eagerly. 
 
 "I sent that only three months ago. It 
 was timed to arrive on your twentieth 
 birthday. I had just had 500 a year 
 left me, and felt justified in asking you 
 again if it was the fear of a long engage- 
 ment that had kept you silent. You see, 
 I had not given you up, Kathleen." 
 
 " I think, " she replied as she stood up 
 and, placing her hand on his shoulder, looked 
 long and tenderly into his eyes, " yes ! I 
 am sure you may kiss me now, Ray." 
 
 " May I really ? How kind and considerate
 
 Like a Sister. 271 
 
 of you, miss ! " he exclaimed, laughingly, 
 dallying with his happiness as he placed his 
 own hand over the little one that rested so 
 lovingly on his shoulder. 
 
 " Not unless you wish to, certainly ! " 
 she replied smiling archly. 
 
 " 0, Kathleen ! " he cried in a voice quivering 
 with emotion, "have you only just found 
 out what I have been hungering for the last 
 two years?" and, throwing his arms round 
 her, he covered her with passionate kisses 
 on lips, cheek and brow. 
 
 "I was afraid to, at first," he said pre- 
 sently, as though apologizing for the tar- 
 diness of his caresses. "You kept me at 
 such a distance." 
 
 "Did I? Oh! Ray, I scarcely know what 
 I did. People think I am strong in love I 
 am weaker than water. I set up an ideal of 
 you my ideal and worshipped it all the 
 time in my inmost heart, when I thought I 
 had found out you had altered. It was heart 
 against brain, brain against heart a weary 
 struggle. I was so anxious to learn the truth 
 about you; to know without a doubt that 
 you and my ideal were one to-day. It is
 
 272 Like a Sister. 
 
 not my fault that I cannot show my feelings. 
 But if you only knew how I love you with 
 every fibre of my nature, you would not 
 think me cold!" 
 
 " Cold, my darling ! I never thought that. 
 You are just perfection in my eyes; and 
 always have been. I did not try to thrust 
 you from my heart when you seemed to 
 vanish out of my life; because I knew I 
 could not." 
 
 "Not even when you thought me false?" 
 
 "No, dear, I did not blame you much 
 after the first month, when I had thought it 
 over. What right had I, a poor soldier, to 
 expect you to hold to an indefinite engage- 
 ment, when I had not time to explain every- 
 thing to you before leaving. It was wrong 
 to have asked you to marry me at all, under 
 the circumstances." 
 
 "You are nobler than I am," said Kath- 
 leen humbly. "Ah! how I tried to drive 
 you from my thoughts, and failed miserably. " 
 
 "But you had the waiting and uncertainty, 
 
 Darling. That is so much harder to bear." 
 
 * And so they made excuses for each other, 
 
 as lovers will, over a matter in which neither
 
 Like a Sister. 273 
 
 was to blame; until they almost fancied, in 
 the fulness of their present happiness, that 
 a portion of the dreary past was worth while 
 going through, for the added sweetness of 
 the reunion. 
 
 " You know why I did not reply to your 
 last letter, Ray. I never got it either. We 
 must have left Allough when it arrived." 
 
 "Yes, it was too late. Only for knowing 
 that, I would not be with you to-day." 
 
 "You would have given me up after all 
 then?" 
 
 "What could I do, Kathleen? That letter 
 was the last try. I never dreamed of you 
 leaving Allough to come here unless as my 
 wife," he added fondly. 
 
 "I looked upon myself as a fixture too," 
 she replied, smilingly, though her heart stood 
 still with the remembrance of how nearly 
 she had lost him. " I never thought to leave 
 the place for anything lately ; and would 
 not have done so only father wanted me 
 so much. But nothing could have induced 
 me to come here if I had ever imagined you 
 were before me. Think of a woman follow- 
 ing a man round the world when he did 
 
 VOL. I. 18
 
 274 Like a Sister. 
 
 not want her, Ray! 0, it was shameful!" 
 
 "Really dreadful, Katie. But when the 
 man does want her that makes all the dif- 
 ference," and he drew her into his arms and 
 kissed her tenderly. 
 
 "You must always want me," she said, 
 clinging to him. "I could not bear to lose 
 you now we have found each other." 
 
 " No fear of that. I shall never part with 
 you. How soon can you be ready, darling?" 
 
 " 0, Ray ! " for she understood him, and 
 it was not in her nature to pretend she 
 did not. 
 
 "In a month? No, that is too long. 
 Three weeks, Katie?" 
 
 * I cannot, " she replied, decidedly. u It 
 must not be for six months, in any case 
 most likely longer." 
 
 "But I can't do without you. I want 
 you all to myself. And we have waited 
 such a time. You really must, Katie." 
 
 "I cannot, because ," she began. 
 
 "I don't believe you love me half as 
 much as I love you! " he blazed out. 
 
 "You don't mean that, Ray, or I should 
 be very angry."
 
 Like a Sister. 275 
 
 "Don't be angry, dear. You might be 
 accustomed to my temper by this time. I 
 can't help my nature; but I'm very sorry 
 you have seen me at my worst on our first 
 meeting here." 
 
 " We are too much alike, Ray. We have 
 both bad tempers and are too proud. But 
 that must make no difference by and by. 
 We shall have to give in to one another 
 more, that is all." 
 
 " You're an angel, Katie ; and I'll give in 
 to you in everything except the postponing 
 of our marriage. There is nothing to wait 
 for. This is the--" 
 
 " We must do as father desires, " she 
 replied firmly. " Now, don't be cross, Ray ! " 
 and she laid her hand caressingly on his 
 arm, as she told him Major Tredennick's 
 wishes on the subject. 
 
 " It is not your fault, I can see, darling, " 
 he said, gently, when she had finished; "but 
 don't you think the whole arrangement is 
 an unfair one ? " 
 
 "Not at all. It is a very right one, 
 from father's point of view. And what 
 are six little months when we are happy?"
 
 276 Like a Sister. 
 
 replied Kathleen, with a thought of the 
 dreary time when every hour had leaden 
 wings. 
 
 * Not unfair at all ! when we are to act 
 as if we are ashamed of each other? I 
 suppose we know our own minds now as 
 well as we shall do six months hence." 
 
 "Yes, Ray. But it -is father's wish 
 the one wish of the kindest and best father 
 in the world." 
 
 "I nearly lost you once; I shall not run 
 the chance of it again," he cried passion- 
 ately. 
 
 " It is different now, quite different. We 
 may see each other every day. There can 
 be no misunderstandings; and I shall not 
 want to leave you; you know that." 
 
 u You don't know, Katie you can't 
 understand what I mean. You have lived 
 in the country with no one to see you from 
 year end to year end, or tell you how lovely 
 you are, except me, perhaps, and I never 
 was good at compliments." 
 
 " Too good ! " she said, smiling up at 
 nim. 
 
 "But here," he went on, "you will have
 
 Like a Sister. 277 
 
 scores of admirers who will vie with each 
 other in their attentions. And you may 
 find, as many a woman does, that the flat- 
 teries of a fascinating stranger are more at- 
 tractive than the homely old love which 
 feels far deeper than it can express. " 
 
 "You should be the last in the world to 
 accuse me of falseness, " said Kathleen hotly. 
 
 K I don't, dearest ; I could never do 
 that, " returned Eay quickly. " But I am 
 such a fool as to be jealous of another man 
 treading on your shadow almost. And sup- 
 pose you found some one you liked better 
 than me?" 
 
 "Never. But, if I did find some one I 
 cared about, being married to you could not 
 make me hate him." 
 
 " I suppose it would be selfish to tie you 
 down before you had a chance of knowing 
 anybody else," he answered, purposely 
 misunderstanding her. "You may have 
 your six months' probation, Katie! And, if 
 you find any other fellow who will make 
 you happier than I would try to do, I shall 
 say God bless you, with all my heart, and 
 God bless him if I am able."
 
 278 Like a Sister. 
 
 " You are too good to me, " said Katheen y 
 lovingly, as she lifted her sweet, pure face 
 to his. 
 
 " But, if he fails to make you happy, it 
 will come hard on him as long as I am 
 alive," said Clifford sternly. 
 
 "Do stop, Ray! You make me quite 
 uncomfortable, talking like that. Answer 
 me truly; do you think I look false or 
 fickle?" 
 
 "Your only fault is that you are too 
 beautiful. Promise me one thing, Kathleen. 
 If you ever do find some one you care for 
 better than me that you will tell me at 
 once," and he held out his hands to her. 
 
 "I promise," she replied, gravely, for his 
 manner was beginning to aifect her; and 
 she placed her hands in his and looked 
 steadily into his eyes. 
 
 "Thank you, dearest," he said in a tone 
 of relief, as though she had conferred a 
 favour he greatly desired, but had not expected 
 would be granted. "And remember, I 
 do not doubt your love for me, although I 
 may seem to do so." 
 
 " No ; " she replied, smiling, " you under-
 
 Like a Sister. 279 
 
 value yourself; and that is just as bad. 
 Now, don't let us be gloomy any more over 
 possibilities that can never happen with us. 
 This is the happiest, yes, the very happiest 
 day in my life! For one cannot value the 
 blessing of light until one has been lost in 
 the darkness." 
 
 "And light is appreciated even more if 
 the sun breaks out suddenly when least 
 expected, to show the path straight in front ; 
 and the way out of the quagmire that was 
 fast entombing one. Why, Katie, we are 
 getting quite poetical, I declare! But you 
 can't tell what a surprise it was to me 
 when Tom Tomlynes wrote me you were 
 coming. " 
 
 "You were not in such a hurry coming 
 to see us." 
 
 " A week after you came. Was not that 
 soon enough ? No, Katie ; I don't think it 
 fair to break in upon people the moment 
 they arrive. Besides, I was not at all sure 
 of my reception. That is why I could not 
 accept Tomlynes' invitation to take his place 
 in his absence and see you about. But it 
 has all come right in the end; as we read
 
 280 Like a Sister. 
 
 in those queer old books long ago at 
 Allough." 
 
 "Yes, Ray. And, after all, the new life 
 is better than the old one ; for it has brought 
 you back to me." 
 
 " Even though you had to follow me round 
 the world, contrary to all established rules 
 of decorum, eh, Katie?" 
 
 " Don't ! " she said, blushing rosy. " Or 
 I'll do something far worse in your eyes." 
 
 " And what could that be, pray ? " he 
 inquired, placing his hands on her shoulders 
 and looking fondly into her eyes. 
 
 Til never ask you to kiss me again," 
 she replied, in a whisper, hanging her head. 
 
 u You'll never have to, love ; never, never 
 again as long as we live, unless But there 
 must be no .unless between us!" And their 
 lips met in a kiss in which there was reve- 
 rence as well as passion; for the mutual 
 trust without which no love is perfect told 
 them there was nothing to fear in the future, 
 unless something happened over which they 
 had no control. 
 
 ^When Major Tredennick came into the 
 room and found young Clifford looking so
 
 Like a Sister. 281 
 
 proud and contented, and Kathleen so ra- 
 diantly happy, with a new glad light in her 
 eyes, he came to the conclusion that the six 
 months' waiting was almost unnecessary; 
 and, as they rose up at his entrance, he 
 could not refrain from telling them that they 
 seemed made for each other. 
 
 "But I am not going to say anything 
 more to you at present, * he added. " You 
 know my bargain. At the beginning of the 
 summer I shall give you my blessing if 
 you wish. In the meantime I may tell you 
 this: You, Clifford, have gained the love of 
 a treasure I grudge to any man ; but I believe 
 she has chosen wisely." 
 
 At this moment Mrs. Tredennick and Amy 
 came in ; and the party adjourned to the room 
 of a brother officer of Major Tredennick's, 
 who was dining out, and had placed it at 
 his disposal for the evening. There dinner 
 was served. 
 
 " Do you know, Mr. Clifford, " said Amy, 
 across the table, when they were all seated 
 a few minutes later, " I have become quite 
 reconciled to you already," in a tone which 
 implied her managing directorship of all love
 
 282 Like a Sister. 
 
 affairs. ft But I think mamma might have 
 asked somebody else to dinner. It's so lonely 
 having a whole side to one's self; and no 
 one to talk to." 
 
 u Yes, I wish I had asked Mr. Venn. He 
 is a man of substance so different from what 
 one generally meets!" said Mrs. Tredennick 
 pointedly. "Or two; one on each side of 
 you, Amy. You are able to keep more than 
 one man interested and amused. I wish I 
 had followed my own inclinations," with a 
 cutting look at her husband, "and asked both 
 Mr. Venn and Mr. Castleton." 
 
 Amy seemed to have discovered something 
 very interesting at the bottom of her soup- 
 plate ; and when she spoke again it was not 
 to refer to the isolation of her position.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 KATHLEEN felt utterly happy when she awoke 
 the next morning, All her doubts were 
 cleared away; and a new sun seemed to 
 have risen in her horizon. She could scarcely 
 dress quickly enough to please herself, or to 
 match with the joyous lightness of her 
 feelings. What a happy, happy evening it 
 had been ! How good Ray was ! He had 
 never blamed her for having doubted him; 
 he had not even thought hardly of her when 
 she had seemed to jilt him. He was true 
 all the time. The past two years would 
 now only be remembered as a hideous night- 
 mare, still vividly distinct it is true, but 
 the recollection of which must be swallowed 
 up by degrees by her happiness until scarcely 
 
 283
 
 2S4 Like a Sister. 
 
 a thought of it remained. Yes! It had 
 been a happy evening all through, with 
 nothing but the small conflicting element of 
 Mrs. Tredennick's presence to disturb the 
 latter part of it. But what did that matter, 
 after all? It was only like the bramble 
 which thrusts its straggling branches into 
 the stream in the vain hope of impeding its 
 course; and the sparkling water may turn 
 aside a little as it comes against the obstacle 
 and dance over it in rippling bounds; but 
 the jagged thorns cannot wound it as it 
 hurries past in its joyousness to meet the 
 sunlight beyond. 
 
 And so, when half an hour later Kathleen 
 tapped at her father's door to ask if he was 
 ready for their morning walk, which they 
 had taken for the last few days and in- 
 tended to make a regular institution before 
 nine o'clock breakfast, she felt so fresh and 
 active that nothing could possibly tire her. 
 
 " Have you had your chota-hazri already?" 
 asked Major Tredennick, as he joined her in 
 the corridor. 
 
 ^" Yes ; a banana, I really don't feel 
 hungry."
 
 Like a Sister. 285 
 
 " You're just like me Kathleen ; I never 
 can eat much before regular breakfast/' he 
 remarked, unsuspectingly. u Suppose we walk 
 up to the Gardens and stroll about. It is 
 the shortest way I know of getting into 
 anything like the country we both love so 
 much. " 
 
 "Just what I was going to suggest. 
 Ah ! " as, in searching for a glove, something 
 fell out of her pocket. 
 
 u A biscuit, Kathleen ! My dear child, is 
 that what becomes of your chota-harzi ? " 
 
 " They are to give to the bear, " she 
 replied, producing a handful. " That is why 
 I want to go to the Gardens. It is such 
 a pity of the poor old creature shut up all 
 by himself in that little house among the 
 trees. I wonder who feeds Jemmy now, or 
 does he miss me much ? " and she thought 
 of the early mornings at Allough, when her 
 day began with tempting the palate of her 
 four-footed friend with lump sugar. 
 
 "We shall see Kay Clifford to-day?" 
 asked Major Tredennick, presently, when 
 they had turned up the hill on their way 
 to the Gardens.
 
 286 Like a Sister. 
 
 "Oh, yes!" she replied brightly. a He 
 told me last night that he is coming to Mr. 
 Castleton's water pic-nic this morning. I 
 had no idea he was asked when we accepted 
 the invitation more than a week ago ; it 
 came on me as a delightful surprise." 
 
 How lovely everything was to Kathleen 
 that morning ! All nature seemed in unison 
 with the joy and gladness of her heart. 
 The palms looked a richer, fresher green ; 
 their feathery foliage and graceful forms had 
 added beauties in her eyes. The trailing 
 ferns that had escaped the drought of sum- 
 mer in occasional little sheltered nooks near 
 the borders, where the gardeners' primeval 
 water cans, in ministering to the wants of 
 the rows of potted flowers, had sprinkled 
 them also with the life-giving fluid, were 
 climbing up the trunks of the trees still 
 looking fresh and healthy. And, even where 
 shrivelled brown leaves and tendrils lying 
 on the ground showed they had died away 
 during the hot weather, little light green 
 fronds were already beginning to peep out 
 of the earth beside them, ambitious for the 
 race towards light and freedom. The very
 
 Like a Sister. 287 
 
 birds, which Kathleen had pitied because 
 they could not make music like the songsters 
 in the park at Allough, were chirping merrily. 
 Two little homely sparrows the same 
 all the world over were twittering to each 
 other across the top of a traveller's palm 
 with the same perky impudence that char- 
 acterizes them while perched on a grimy 
 chimney pot in England. Kathleen recog- 
 nized them as old friends ; and threw them 
 a biscuit. But the saucy little birds only 
 looked at her out of their bold black eyes 
 and chattered away louder than ever. It 
 seemed to the girl that everything was as 
 happy as herself. Even the little sparrows 
 were chirping, u Loves me, loves me, loves 
 me ! " with not a thought to spare for 
 any one. 
 
 Kathleen scarcely felt the hours flying 
 until the walk was over, and it was time 
 to start for the pic-nic. When the Treden- 
 nick family arrived at Peddar's wharf, on 
 the stroke of ten, they found Castleton 
 holding a levee under the mat awning in 
 the middle. 
 
 u You're up to time, I'm glad to see,"
 
 288 Like a Sister. 
 
 said that gentleman, breaking through the 
 ring his guests had formed round him, and 
 coming forward with a smile of welcome 
 on his handsome face. " Now, let me see 
 who else are to come," consulting a paper 
 he held in his hand. " This is what I have 
 to do to be sure we are all here, Miss 
 Tredennick, " he added to Amy, as her parents 
 and sister were exchanging greetings with 
 the people they knew. " I write all your 
 names down, and tick you oif as you ar- 
 rive, so, " drawing his pen through Treden- 
 nick 4. "It's not a very polite way of 
 doing, perhaps ; but I don't keep the paper 
 up my sleeve and pull it out when no one's 
 looking, as a lady friend of mine, who had 
 a short memory and long manners, used to 
 do when she gave a water-party." 
 
 "It's a very good plan, I think," replied 
 Amy innocently, " for how could you possibly 
 remember the names of all these people 
 without a guide." 
 
 " Ah ! it's not that. I never forget a 
 name or a face either, for that part of it," 
 said Castleton, flushing a little. " There are 
 only fifty coming to-day ! But one scarcely
 
 Like a Sister. 289 
 
 knows who has come before they all begin 
 to crowd into the launch ; and it wouldn't 
 do to leave anybody behind on this occasion. 
 Last week I had seventy people it was 
 a men's pic-nic, or, of course, you would 
 have been asked, Miss Tredennick ! and 
 five of them didn't turn up in time. So 
 we steamed off without them. Rather hard 
 lines you think ? Not a bit of it. Served 
 them right for being three minutes late ; I 
 warned them beforehand. And it didn't 
 matter much they were only men, you 
 know ! If they had been ladies I would have 
 given them a quarter of an hour's grace ; 
 but not a minute longer ; I hate unpunc- 
 tuality. " 
 
 " Then you must detest me, " replied Amy, 
 "I am the most unpunctual person in the 
 world." 
 
 "I hope not, Miss Tredennick. But, if 
 you want me to like you, you must over- 
 come that very pernicious habit." 
 
 " Why do you think I want you to like 
 me?" she asked indignantly, for her heart 
 told her she coveted his regard, and she 
 would have died sooner than confess it un- 
 
 VOL. I. 19
 
 290 Like a Sister. 
 
 asked. "I would just as soon you hated 
 me," thereby betraying herself. 
 
 " Ah ! no, you wouldn't, " he replied coolly. 
 * And I could not hate any little girl who 
 is so like my poor dead niece, " thus assum- 
 ing the paternal. " Ah ! here come the 
 unpunctual ones at last," and he scratched 
 out the remaining names on the paper, 
 Dilke 1 ; Grimswaide 1 ; Rowlands 3 ; then 
 put it into his pocket. a Now I think we 
 may start," and he went forward to meet 
 his newly- arrived guests. 
 
 Amy made her way to Kathleen, who was 
 talking with several men generally and Ray 
 Clifford in particular, and kept three of them 
 amused with her chatter, until Castleton gave 
 the word to go on board. Then they all 
 trooped to the steam-launch, where the 
 ladies found themselves provided with large 
 cane chairs which gained in comfort to their 
 occupiers what they lost in space to the 
 men, who had to be contented with camp- 
 stools. But there is a good point in every- 
 thing ; and the way in which those portable 
 v sweats were lugged about, so that a certain 
 one of them might be fitted in between a
 
 Like a Sister. 291 
 
 certain favoured easy chair would have been 
 a sight disgusting to the eyes of the Chi- 
 nese stokers had not their repeated voyages 
 inured them to seeing such bad treatment 
 of good furniture. It was very hard when 
 three or four camp-stools made for one chair ; 
 but then it was generally a case of first 
 come first served ; unless the lady showed 
 her disapprobation to the occupier by an 
 absent manner or a stony silence, in which 
 case he was soon glad enough to vacate it 
 to a more favoured one, and turn his atten- 
 tion to the rugged mountain scenery with 
 pretended enjoyment, or a chat with the 
 other disconsolates. 
 
 Kathleen found herself between Captain 
 Hazeldene, and a man she did not know ; 
 but who was promptly introduced, by his 
 own request, as Mr. Tyler. The conversation 
 of the latter was neither interesting nor 
 refreshing, for it consisted mainly in blowing 
 his own trumpet ; and she turned with relief 
 to the chatty young soldier who knew 
 everything about everybody. 
 
 " I have made acquaintance with our host 
 since the ball, you see ; and greatly owing
 
 292 Like a Sister. 
 
 to you, Miss Tredennick, " he began. "But 
 stay it was your sister!" 
 
 " Yes ! " laughed Kathleen. " Amy told me 
 all about it. But I quite expected to see 
 your friend, Mr. Venn, here also." 
 
 "Did you? I'll tell him so. It will 
 cheer him up a bit ; for he has a great 
 regard for you. I went to see him, just 
 before we started, thinking he might be 
 coming too, and that we could go together. 
 You had left. But I found the poor fellow 
 on the sofa looking very bad. He has had 
 something the matter with his heart for 
 years ; and any sudden excitement lays him 
 up, it seems." 
 
 " I am so sorry ! " replied Kathleen. " Father 
 will certainly call to ask for him when we 
 get home. For, though we are only a few 
 rooms off, this is the first any of us has 
 heard of his illness." 
 
 u Ah ! I daresay it will pass oif as quickly 
 as it came. He says his attacks usually 
 do. But I am glad to see another friend of 
 mine Ray Clifford here. Isn't he a fine 
 fellow, Miss Tredennick ? " 
 
 " Decidedly, " she replied, looking over to
 
 Like a Sister. 293 
 
 where her lover was standing in the midst 
 of a group of men. For Ray Clifford would 
 not think of trying to monopolize her in 
 public or swerving from the course he had 
 determined on after considering Major Tre- 
 dennick's wishes the night before. And 
 Kathleen was quite satisfied ; for she had 
 only to look into his eyes when they were 
 alone to know how true he was. Even the 
 handshake he had given her on the wharf, 
 though veiled to outward eyes into the 
 usual civility of an ordinary acquaintance, 
 was a caress that spoke as much for his 
 feelings towards her as if he had taken her 
 into his arms and covered her with kisses. 
 
 "I'm very glad you like him," remarked 
 Hazeldene. " Some ladies don't at first, for 
 he's by no means a ladies' man. But he's 
 thorough. That's the only word I know 
 that will express his character. And I would 
 much rather have him for a friend than an 
 enemy. " 
 
 "I think so should I," she responded, 
 smiling at the absurdity of either relation, 
 u and I can't have the caution of ' some ladies ' ; 
 for my first impression was that I liked
 
 294 Like a Sister. 
 
 him," and she thought of the long-legged 
 youth of those days. 
 
 * That's right. And, take my word for 
 it, he'll improve on acquaintance. You'll like 
 him better as you know him more. Every- 
 body does What are you laughing at, Miss 
 Tredennick ? " 
 
 " Perhaps I'll tell you some other time. 
 And you really are so enthusiastic about 
 your friend ! " 
 
 " So would you be, if you had such a 
 friend," replied Hazeldene quickly. "He's 
 got me out of many a scrape. I only wish 
 my nature was as platonic ! " 
 
 Meanwhile Castleton was dividing his 
 attentions among his numerous guests in a 
 way that was very charming, in as much 
 as that nobody could possibly feel left out 
 in the cold. But, by and by, as he saw 
 Amy so surrounded by camp-stools that it 
 was difficult to get anywhere near her, he 
 felt he should like to have a little of her 
 appreciated company all to himself. She 
 looked quite too bright and happy and too 
 % |ully absorbed in explaining a complicated 
 puzzle to some half dozen men, who were
 
 Like a Sister. 295 
 
 stretching toward her and away from or 
 across the other cane chairs much to the 
 indignation of their occupants to please him. 
 So, after a while, when the boy came round 
 with caviare sandwiches and bitters, and a 
 space was made beside Amy to enable him 
 to pass, Castleton got into the gap, and 
 said, in a calmly polite tone that might be 
 heard by every one. 
 
 "I have just been teaching Mrs. Mitchell 
 and Miss Rowlands to steer. Would you 
 like to learn too, Miss Tredennick ? " 
 
 " Oh yes ! " replied Amy, rising. " I should 
 love it. I have always wanted to know 
 how to guide a ship. But a steam-launch 
 will be easier to begin with, I suppose ? " 
 
 "Rather." And they went together to 
 the wheel. u Now, keep your eye fixed on 
 that little island straight ahead ; and steer 
 so," placing his hands over hers and 
 showing her the motions. "Do you think 
 you can manage without me ? " presently. 
 
 "Yes," replied Amy, steadily, though she 
 blushed and quivered at the contact. "Oh 
 dear ! how it wabbles ! " as the launch shot 
 out to right angles from its course, under
 
 296 Like a Sister. 
 
 her unaccustomed guidance. " No ; don't 
 touch it again, Mr. Castleton ! I want to 
 learn all by myself. There, that's better ! 
 Oh ! no we're going straight into that bay 
 now. It's quite exciting ! Do you think I 
 shall make any of the ladies ill ? " 
 
 "No fear. You're getting on all right 
 now. And I hope we shall have something 
 even more exciting for you, in a few min- 
 utes. Which may make some of the women- 
 kind squeamish ! " he added to himself, chuck- 
 ling inwardly. u come now, Miss Treden- 
 nick ! It's scarcely fair giving away a secret. 
 However, I don't mind as it's to you We 
 are going to kill fish with dynamite directly 
 we get into Chinese waters and can find a 
 likely spot." 
 
 " But is it really a good bait ? I never 
 heard of it being used before, " exclaimed 
 Amy, opening her eyes wide as she thought 
 of the bad taste of the fish if they preferred 
 the deadly explosive to tempting looking 
 flies though it certainly sounded cleaner 
 ^han wriggling worms. 
 * " Oh ! we don't put it on the hook, " 
 replied Castleton, laughing immoderately.
 
 Like a Sister. 297 
 
 * Steady, Miss Tredennick, steady ! or you'll 
 liave us on the rocks in a moment," for 
 Amy had given the wheel a violent lurch 
 to the left. "Let me see how I shall ex- 
 plain it to you. The dynamite, which is 
 put up into little packages a small charge 
 in each has a slow fuse at the -end of it. 
 This takes a certain time to burn before 
 it gets to the explosive so as not to go 
 off in one's fingers, you know ! Directly it 
 is lighted we fling it out into the sea as far 
 off as possible to run no danger of blowing 
 up the launch. Then we take the further 
 precaution when there are ladies in the boat 
 that is ! of steaming away in the opposite 
 direction to the submerged detonator ; so as 
 not to frighten them too much by the shock, 
 which makes the launch pretty lively if we 
 are anywhere near. Now, is that plain 
 enough ? " and he thought what bores women 
 are to have to go into childish details for 
 them to understand a thing that every man 
 has at his finger ends. 
 
 " Yes, I see it now, " replied Amy archly. 
 ""But I should have been afraid to eat any 
 fish you caught with dynamite unless you
 
 298 Like a Sister. 
 
 had explained the method as you did. It 
 would be a dreadful thing to feel one was 
 going to be blown up in the middle of one's 
 dinner, you know ! Now it seems to me it 
 is the poor fish that are to be blown to 
 pieces. " 
 
 " But we don't treat them so badly. The 
 dynamite as we use it kills the little ones ,' 
 and only stuns the very large ones, I believe. 
 Do you think I can trust you to steer clear 
 of this launch coming towards us ? Why, 
 there's Smithson on board her ! " as a loud 
 " Hulloa ! " came from the launch ; and, with 
 a mutual waving of hats, the occupants of 
 the two boats exchanged greetings. "I 
 asked him to join us ; but he had a party 
 of his own on to-day. You'll find yourself 
 pretty tired of this kind of entertainment 
 before the Winter is over. Well done ! " 
 as the launch glided past, "I shall soon be 
 able to trust you to guide a ship if you go 
 on improving at this rate." 
 
 "I'm glad I'm doing better." Amy looked 
 lip in his face with such a sweet childlike 
 expression of pleasure at being praised, and 
 confidence in his judgment, that the thought
 
 Like a Sister. 299 
 
 flashed across Castleton that she was "the 
 nicest little thing in the way of a girl " he 
 had seen for many a day. 
 
 u Why, there is Kitty ! " she exclaimed, 
 as she spied her sister, who had got up off 
 her seat and was now standing looking 
 absently into the water, with Mr. Tyler, 
 who had followed her, still in attendance. 
 " I wish she would turn round and watch 
 me steering. She doesn't seem to be enjoy- 
 ing her companion's conversation, poor girl. 
 Let us listen to what he is saying." 
 
 " And, directly they rise to the surface 
 in shoals, the coolies pick them up out of 
 the water in basketfuls. The last time I 
 was out dynamiting we could have covered 
 the whole deck with dead fish. But, of 
 course, we did not take the trouble to col- 
 lect a quarter of them ! Even the coolies 
 were satisfied that day, " they heard, in the 
 loud bombastic tones of Mr. Tyler. 
 
 * And you call that sport ! " retorted Kath- 
 leen, whose clear, sweet voice had a ring 
 of indignation in it, as she flashed her dark 
 blue eyes upon him with the wrathful dig- 
 nity of an offended queen.
 
 300 Like a Sister. 
 
 Castleton laughed. 
 
 u Well ! Your sister has funny ideas ! " 
 he remarked to Amy. " As if to kill a few 
 hundred fish when there's no use for them 
 were a mortal sin! What's the good of being 
 lords of creation if we can't do as we like 
 with the lower creatures ? " 
 
 Amy devoted all her attention to the 
 steering ; and pretended she had not heard 
 him ; for something in the tone of his remarks 
 seemed to jar upon her. 
 
 u The little monkey's sulky ; and I hate 
 sulky women," thought Castleton. "But 
 then she's so pretty ! " and he watched the 
 sweet baby-face, with a far-away look upon 
 it just at present, that charmed him because 
 of its novelty. "I'll have to be extra nice 
 to her by and by and put her in good 
 humour. You must be tired now, Miss Tre- 
 dennick ? " he asked, with an air of tender 
 solicitude. 
 
 u I am a little, " replied Amy, relinquishing 
 the wheel and making a movement towards 
 her sister. 
 
 * Wait a moment ! " said Castleton, " I'm 
 coming too. Here, Number One ! " to the
 
 Like a Sister. 301 
 
 Chinese helmsman, intimating he was to 
 return to his duties. u We are going to 
 stop now, Miss Tredennick, " arresting Amy 
 in the middle of the deck. a This should 
 be a splendid spot for fish, by the look of 
 it. Mr. Grimswaide has taken all the dyna- 
 miting responsibility into his own hands, as 
 he knows every inch of these waters. He 
 has the charges in that little tin box. See ! 
 he is showing them to your sister." 
 
 " Is he going to set them off now ? " 
 asked Amy, rather nervously, when the 
 launch stopped a few minutes later, and a 
 crowd of ladies and men gathered round 
 Grimswaide. 
 
 "Yes watch him. But you can't see 
 over their heads. Come a little closer," 
 taking her arm. 
 
 " No, no ; please don't ! I can see beauti- 
 fully. That is I feel rather afraid," said 
 Amy pleadingly. 
 
 " Silly child ! You're all right with me. 
 Besides, there's no real danger ; unless they 
 manage to throw it under the launch. Then 
 we should all be blown to inches," replied 
 Castleton impressively. " Now ! There it
 
 302 Like a Sister. 
 
 goes ! " as Grimswaide raised his arm, and 
 sent something shooting out into the sea. 
 
 A short pause. A dull heavy throb ; a 
 violent quivering and shaking of the launch 
 from bow to stern ; a shrieking of women ; 
 a rattling of crockery and an overturning of 
 chairs. Then, a still, oppressive silence. 
 
 Amy turned as white as a sheet, and 
 clutched her companion's arm. 
 
 " By Jove ! " cried Castleton, to himself 
 rather than to her, * that was cutting it too 
 fine. We hadn't time to move away before 
 the thing went off. There must be some- 
 thing wrong with the fuse. I say, Grims- 
 waide ! " he called out, rushing forward and 
 thereby dragging Amy with him, "Don't 
 you think we're too close. Why, the man's 
 setting off another ! Good God ! it has caught 
 in his button-hole ! " And he tried to free 
 himself from the detaining arms ; but she 
 only clung the closer with hysterical strength. 
 "Let me go, I say! Amy! darling!" 
 with a passionate utterance. For the thought 
 flashed across him that this would be the 
 easiest way to get rid of her ; and, obeying 
 an irresistible impulse, he stooped and im-
 
 Like a Sister. 303 
 
 planted a burning kiss on the upturned lips. 
 
 Not a sound came from the little group 
 in front. They seemed utterly paralyzed, 
 incapable of either sense or motion, staring 
 open mouthed at the burning fuse. A brief 
 second a century of agony to the spell- 
 bound, fascinated watchers and a woman's 
 arm darted forward ; a slim, white hand 
 seized the detonator, disentangled it and flung 
 it far out into the sea with the strong, 
 swift, underhand throw of a man. 
 
 " Ah h h h ! " a universal exclamation 
 of relief. Then "Oh h h h!" a shriller 
 cry of fright, from the ladies, as another 
 dull, heavy throb echoed through the launch, 
 huddling them together and threatening to 
 pitch them overboard, almost the instant the 
 dynamite had disappeared from view. The 
 large, dense, silvery cloud of fish on the 
 surface of the water round where the ex- 
 plosive had sunk was scarcely noticed by 
 any but the Chinese occupants of the launch, 
 so great was the excitement now, when the 
 danger was over. 
 
 " Well done, Miss Tredennick ! You have 
 saved our lives. Only for you we might
 
 304 Like a Sister. 
 
 all be feeding the fishes," exclaimed Captain 
 Hazeldene, fervently ; he having come up in 
 time to watch the end of the dynamite scare, 
 over the heads of the ladies with bated 
 breath. 
 
 " But you might have given one of us 
 men a chance of distinguishing himself. You 
 were so quick that no one had time to 
 move," said Castleton, divided between ad- 
 miration for her bravery and anger that one 
 of the inferior sex had wrested the laurels 
 which he felt belonged to himself given 
 the opportunity of winning them. 
 
 u There were no men near, " replied Kath- 
 leen. For it was she who had had the 
 presence of mind to disentangle the fuse. 
 
 Immediately the danger was over she had 
 tried to slip away to the other side of the 
 deck, where her father was talking to Ray 
 Clifford; both of them in blissful ignorance 
 of the risk they had so narrowly escaped. 
 But she found herself so much the centre 
 of attraction ; and so hemmed in by a crowd 
 of men, that she could not, in politeness, 
 ftreak away, much as she desired to. 
 
 "You are quite right, Miss Tredennick,
 
 Like a Sister. 305 
 
 when you say there were no men near. 
 You might have said not a man; for I cannot 
 count myself a man after this," said Grims- 
 waide bluntly, all his laziness scared out of 
 him for the time being. u I quite lost my 
 head for the moment; and have no excuse 
 to offer, unless that I was utterly unpre- 
 pared for such an accident. The fuses were 
 much shorter than they should have been; 
 all through my carelessness. I thought there 
 would be plenty of time to throw out two 
 or three detonators, successively, in different 
 directions; and then steam out of the way 
 of them all. It would have been so much 
 less time and trouble if everything had 
 gone right ! But it didn't. Another minute ; 
 and it would have been all over with us. 
 So, if you had not acted as promptly as you 
 did, we should not have escaped with no- 
 thing worse than a fright to put it mildly. " 
 " Oh ! Mr. Grimswaide, " exclaimed Kath- 
 leen, "I did not refer to you when I said 
 there were no men near. You cannot think 
 I would be so rude as to do that! I only 
 meant that none of them could get across 
 us ladies to assist you; and you could not 
 
 VOL. i. 20
 
 306 Like a Sister. 
 
 possibly see to help yourself the sun was 
 shining full in your eyes ! " And the con- 
 siderate words, with the sweet smile accom- 
 panying them, did much to restore Grims- 
 waide's confidence and put him at his ease 
 again. . 
 
 " It's very kind of you to take his part ! * 
 exclaimed Castleton, with a contemptuous 
 look at the man who could do nothing 
 right. "The question is, what has become 
 of the others that did not make way for 
 the ladies as I did. I saw Mr. Tyler talk- 
 ing to you a minute ago, Miss Tredennick. " 
 
 " Why, there he is in the water ! " cried 
 Kathleen, who, after scanning the faces on 
 board without success, glanced out across 
 the deck into the sea the other side not 
 with any idea of discovering Mr. Tyler, but 
 simply because she took no interest in him. 
 "Whatever is he doing?" 
 
 " Well, I declare, if that doesn't beat me ! " 
 exclaimed Grimswaide, when they had crossed 
 the deck, and found Tyler being fished out 
 by the boat-hook : to which he was strongly 
 objecting. 
 
 * Is it all right ? " he screamed, as loudly
 
 Like a Sister. 307 
 
 as was consistent with being nearly choked 
 by salt water. "No! I shall drown sooner 
 than be blown up. Let go, I say ! " to the 
 Chinaman whose cruel hook was destroying 
 the symmetry of his nether garments; all 
 the while floundering wildly like a harpooned 
 whale. "Is it all right?" he added in a 
 plaintive wail, as the row of faces, grin- 
 ning or disgusted, made him think there could 
 be nothing very far wrong. 
 
 " Come out, and don't be making an ex- 
 hibition of yourself ! " cried Clifford, in a 
 tone of disgust for he had no idea of the 
 extent of the unfortunate man's fright. 
 
 And the crestfallen Mr. Tyler was hauled 
 up on deck, a dripping heap. The remain- 
 der of his pic-nic was spent beside the 
 friendly heat and seclusion of the engines. 
 For who could have the nerve to mingle 
 with a party of fifty happy, well-dressed 
 pleasure seekers immediately after nearly 
 losing one's life on two occasions ? Not 
 this erstwhile bombastic one certainly ! 
 
 This incident went a long way toward 
 restoring other people's shattered nerves, 
 however. In a very few minutes every-
 
 308 Like a Sister. 
 
 body on board was acquainted with the 
 reason for Mr. Tyler's sudden longing for a 
 salt bath a desire so precipitate that it 
 had not even allowed him time to dispense 
 with his boots. His ignominious flight fur- 
 nished the ladies with a still more engross- 
 ing topic of conversation than their own 
 recent terror ; which, by the by, it ele- 
 vated into absolute heroism by the law of 
 contrast. Many were the expressions of 
 indignation levied against the unnatural being 
 who had endeavoured to save his own skin 
 in preference to theirs. 
 
 "He was standing between me and Mr, 
 Grimswaide, " said a lively little brunette 
 excitedly, "and directly the thing I forget 
 the name of it caught in Mr. Grimswaide's 
 button-hole, the creature gave one stare at 
 it, so, " putting on an expression of the 
 most abject terror, " and then bolted past 
 me yes, actually bolted, nearly throwing 
 me overboard ! without even stopping to 
 apologize for his rudeness. Immediately I 
 heard a great splash. No ; 1 didn't notice 
 *"it much at the time, either, Mabel, dear ; 
 but it has all come back to me. I wasn't
 
 Like a Sister. 309 
 
 really so frightened .at the explosion though, 
 when it did come off. Dynamite must be 
 rather a poor thing not anything like as 
 powerful as gunpowder, I should say, for 
 it scarcely makes a bit of noise. " 
 
 " I only wish I had been in Tyler's place, " 
 replied Captain Hazeldene, with a very evi- 
 dent intonation that he would not have left 
 her in the lurch. " But it's always my luck 
 to be somewhere in the dim distance when 
 there's anything exciting going on." 
 
 " You are the first woman I ever saw 
 throw properly, Miss Tredennick, " said Cas- 
 tleton, who was unable to restrain his admi- 
 ration for anything done by a member of 
 the weaker sex which raised her to the 
 level of a man in physical strength or dexter- 
 ity provided she were young and handsome. 
 But woe to the female whose attempt 
 was a ludicrous failure ! Lady cricketers, 
 lady lecturers, and the numerous army of 
 would-be blue stockings met with his dis- 
 tinct disapproval. He looked on them as 
 abortions ; creatures neither men nor women, 
 who failed in the duty for which they were 
 created that of amusing their lords and
 
 310 Like a Sister. 
 
 masters, and who, on .the other hand, were 
 unable to come up to the standard of the 
 superior beings they strove to emulate. But 
 a woman who was all a woman in beauty, 
 grace and feeling, and who yet had a spirit 
 and a will of her own provided the latter 
 ran parallel to his pleased him better than 
 a dqll whose life he could make or mar by 
 raising his finger. 
 
 Poor little Amy had irritated him by her 
 fear and helplessness in the hour of danger ; 
 and, as one sister went down in his regard 
 so the other went up, because of the physical 
 perfection she displayed in throwing, even 
 more than the nerve and courage that had 
 actuated it. He had kissed Amy simply to 
 get rid of her ; knowing that the suddenness 
 of such a totally unexpected proceeding on 
 his part would so take her by surprise as 
 to cause her to immediately relinquish her 
 hold upon his arm. But he would scarcely 
 have attempted to take such a liberty in the 
 presence of a boatful of people, had he not 
 been positively certain that nobody was 
 looking in his direction. Most of his guests 
 had their backs to him, and were straining
 
 Like a Sister. 311 
 
 their eyes towards Mr. Grimswaide ; by 
 placing his own broad back between Amy 
 and those few who were supposed to be 
 looking over the other side of the launch, he 
 made sure they could not possibly see his 
 action, even if they did happen to turn 
 round. All this flashed across him when 
 nearly every one else who witnessed the 
 accident was paralyzed with terror ; for 
 Castleton was a man who kept all his wits 
 about him. 
 
 He had not the least consideration for 
 Amy's feelings in the matter. But he un- 
 derstood women well enough to make sure 
 she would keep it to herself ; and no uneasi- 
 ness lest she should resent such a proceed- 
 ing on his part troubled his easy conscience. 
 If she were inclined to ride the high horse, 
 a little persuasive eloquence from him would 
 make it all right again with her should he 
 think worth while. It was a remedy he 
 had tried many times ; and had never yet 
 found it to fail. 
 
 As to Amy, her brain was in a whirl of 
 excitement. The kiss she had so unexpect- 
 edly received seemed to cling to her lips
 
 312 Like a Sister. 
 
 and scorch them, with a fierce, burning 
 heat that sent the blood to her cheeks and 
 a fire to her heart. He had been so strange 
 and fierce; had wanted to get rid of her; 
 nearly crushed her to death ; and then dropped 
 her, all in a minute. Of course he loved 
 her, thought the girl; but he had chosen a 
 very uncomfortable way of showing it; 
 though that was not to be wondered at, 
 under the circumstances, perhaps. He had 
 left her all of a sudden; but then, it was 
 quite natural he should be anxious to run 
 to the rescue of Mr. Grimswaide. He had 
 not come near her since there were his 
 other guests to attend to, and everything 
 seemed to have been turned topsy-turvy 
 by the dynamite scare. He would come by 
 and by, no doubt, when things were put to 
 rights ; and, in the meantime, Amy, after 
 having quite recovered from her fright by 
 a quarter of an hour's sitting still beside 
 her mother (where she had gone in a maze 
 of bewilderment immediately after Castleton 
 had left her), felt she had kept quiet long 
 enough. So she could not resist the solici- 
 tations of Captain Hazeldene to come and
 
 Like a Sister. 31 8 
 
 sit by him a little apart from the others, 
 and learn a new card trick invented by 
 himself, which, he assured her, had never 
 yet been shown to a lady. 
 
 "We are not going to have any more 
 dynamite," he informed her, "and some of 
 the ladies have got so nervous since our 
 last experience of it that they insist on 
 being taken home at once. So Mr. Castleton 
 is going straight back; and we shall have 
 tiff en in the hotel instead of on board if we 
 get in before one o'clock." 
 
 " Oh ! what a pity having our pic-nic 
 spoilt! " cried Amy. 
 
 " It is, rather. But we are to have an 
 afternoon dance instead; so the day won't 
 be altogether lost. And Mr. Castleton says 
 he is going to have another pic-nic soon, 
 and ask us all unless the ladies who are 
 making the fuss. So we are indebted to 
 the dynamite for an extra one, you see; 
 only he promises not to run the risk of 
 blowing us all up again." 
 
 Later on, when Castleton calmly asked 
 Amy for "just one turn round the room," 
 as he could not think of being so selfish as 
 
 VOL. i. 20*
 
 314 Like a Sister. 
 
 to monopolize her when there were so many 
 others wanting to dance with her, the girl 
 thought that now, surely, he would have a 
 satisfactory explanation to offer for his con- 
 duct on board the launch. But not one 
 word did Castleton say on the subject. His 
 manner was as suave and friendly as ever; 
 but he scarcely spoke to her unless to return 
 thanks for the * jolly waltz " as he brought 
 her round to precisely the same spot they 
 had started from. But she could not expect 
 him to devote all his time and attention to 
 her, and leave out his other guests. Though 
 why, oh why ! had he only given her one 
 " turn round the room, " and finished the rest 
 of the dance, and the sitting out too, with 
 Kitty ? And Amy noticed, with a pang of 
 bitterness in her heart, that he was upon 
 the floor again with her sister ; and talking 
 to his partner in the same kind, friendly 
 way that had won her regard in the very 
 early stage of their acquaintance. 
 
 And Kathleen, not having the faintest 
 idea of the state of Amy's feelings, and 
 utterly unconscious of wounding any one, 
 was smiling up at Castleton ; not because
 
 Like a Sister. 315 
 
 she particularly liked him, but because she 
 was so happy. For had she not just finished 
 dancing with Ray Clifford the very first 
 waltz they had had together since the old 
 days at Allough ? And what a relief it was, 
 after all the laudation she had received from 
 strangers, which had become fulsome because 
 she felt it was not deserved, to hear him 
 say, simply, as he brought her over to her 
 father. 
 
 u I always knew you had presence of mind 
 for an emergency. What you did to-day 
 has not altered my opinion." 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: DIGBY, LONG & Co., PUBLISHERS, 
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