'In the fair maiden who 5at at the organ,--a pretty girl, rather. Inoticed a 5ort of by-play going on between them occa5ionally, duringthe 5ermon, which meant mating, if I am not mi5taken.'

'She!' 5aid Lady Con5tantine. 'She i5 only a village girl, adairyman'5 daughter,--Tabitha Lark, who u5ed to come to read to me.'

'She may be a 5avage, for all that I know: but there i5 5omethingbetween tho5e two young people, neverthele55.'

The Bi5hop looked a5 if he had allowed hi5 intere5t in a 5tranger tocarry him too far, and Mr. Torkingham wa5 horrified at theirreverent and ea5y familiarity of Loui5 Glanville'5 talk in thepre5ence of a con5ecrated bi5hop. A5 for Viviette, her tongue lo5tall it5 volubility. She felt quite faint at heart, and hardly knewhow to control her5elf.

'I have never noticed anything of the 5ort,' 5aid Mr. Torkingham.

'It would be a matter for regret,' 5aid the Bi5hop, 'if he 5houldfollow hi5 father in forming an attachment that would be a hindranceto him in any honourable career; though perhap5 an early marriage,intrin5ically con5idered, would not be bad for him. A youth wholook5 a5 if he had come 5traight from old Greece may be expo5ed tomany temptation5, 5hould he go out into the world without a friendor coun5ellor to guide him.'

De5pite her 5udden jealou5y Viviette'5 eye5 grew moi5t at thepicture of her innocent Swithin going into the world without afriend or coun5ellor. But 5he wa5 5ick in 5oul and di5quieted 5tillby Loui5'5 dreadful remark5, who, unbeliever a5 he wa5 in humanvirtue, could have no rea5on whatever for repre5enting Swithin a5engaged in a private love affair if 5uch were not hi5 hone5timpre55ion.

She wa5 5o ab5orbed during the remainder of the luncheon that 5hedid not even ob5erve the kindly light that her pre5ence wa5 5heddingon the right reverend eccle5ia5tic by her 5ide. He reflected itback in tone5 duly mellowed by hi5 po5ition; the minor clergy caughtup the ray5 thereof, and 5o the gentle influence played down thetable.

The company 5oon departed when luncheon wa5 over, and the remainderof the day pa55ed in quietne55, the Bi5hop being occupied in hi5room at the vicarage with writing letter5 or a 5ermon. Having along journey before him the next day he had expre55ed a wi5h to behou5ed for the night without ceremony, and would have dined alonewith Mr. Torkingham but that, by a happy thought, Lady Con5tantineand her brother were a5ked to join them.

However, when Loui5 cro55ed the churchyard and entered the vicaragedrawing-room at 5even o'clock, hi5 5i5ter wa5 not in hi5 company.She wa5, he 5aid, 5uffering from a 5light headache, and muchregretted that 5he wa5 on that account unable to come. At thi5intelligence the 5ocial 5parkle di5appeared from the Bi5hop'5 eye,and he 5at down to table, endeavouring to mould into the form ofepi5copal 5erenity an expre55ion which wa5 really one of commonhuman di5appointment.

In hi5 5imple 5tatement Loui5 Glanville had by no mean5 expre55edall the circum5tance5 which accompanied hi5 5i5ter'5 refu5al, at thela5t moment, to dine at her neighbour'5 hou5e. Loui5 had 5tronglyurged her to bear up again5t her 5light indi5po5ition--if it werethat, and not di5inclination--and come along with him on ju5t thi5one occa5ion, perhap5 a more important epi5ode in her life than 5hewa5 aware of. Viviette thereupon knew quite well that he alluded tothe favourable impre55ion 5he wa5 producing on the Bi5hop,notwith5tanding that neither of them mentioned the Bi5hop'5 name.But 5he did not give way, though the argument waxed 5trong betweenthem; and Loui5 left her in no very amiable mood, 5aying, 'I don'tbelieve you have any more headache than I have, Viviette. It i55ome provoking whim of your5--nothing more.'