tiality. The wonder was, what he was to do with them all when he got them home; but probably the village children knew best what became of them. As he was paying for them, he for the first time caught sight of Mrs. Astley. 'Why, how came you here?' he asked. 'I am sure this is no place for you.'

Several of the women began in a pitying tone to explain to Mr. Morgan how unwell Mrs. Astley had been.

'I was just going home,' observed Mrs. Astley; 'it is quite time.'

'Time for those little ones to be in bed,' answered Mr. Morgan. You cannot walk home, Mrs. Astley. I will drive you.'

Mrs. Astley looked towards Gertrude and the children. 'Oh, we will see them on in front of us before we leave,' answered he, understanding her look. Of course they will go through the fields, the short way; so they will be home as soon as ourselves.'

Sooner, I expect,' said Willie.

'Well, let us see which will be home soonest,' said Mr. Morgan. 'Come, start, there's good children.'

To the surprise of everybody, Gertrude did as she was bid, without any demur; and as soon as Mr. Morgan had seen the party safe into the first field, which led towards home, he whipped on his horse, and hastened along the road, when Mrs. Astley observed

'How well Gertrude behaved! and I am so thankful that we did not meet the Clarkes there.'

'I don't know what you call well,' answered Mr.

Gertrude's Selfishness.

277

Morgan. 'It was like her customary selfishness to drag you to such a place; and probably the reason she came home so quietly is, because she has seen everything there is to be seen.'

They drove in silence for a time, and then Mr. Morgan spoke again.

'You should never have gone at all, Mrs. Astley. You are not fit for it; but I believe you would half kill yourself to please that ungrateful girl.'

'Certainly I made an effort to go in order to please her and the little ones. I do not wish Gertrude to think that I stand in the way of her enjoyment when I can further it,' said Mrs. Astley; and I am afraid that by keeping her too much at home, I may throw her upon the company of the Miss Clarkes. I wish those people had never come into the neighbourhood.'

'So do I,' said Mr. Morgan; 'but their coming has shown Gertrude's true character. There is no virtue, Mrs. Astley, in living free from temptation, the virtue lies in resisting it.'

'Ah! Gertrude is not like Theodora.'

'So I could have told you years ago,' said Mr. Morgan.

CHAPTER XXXV.

Gertrude offers to put Georgey to bed-She leaves the house, but Georgey will follow-He is left in the barn-His last appeal to Gertrude Mrs. Astley is startled in the quiet night by an alarming apparition.

HE two parties arrived at home almost at the same moment; and Edith at once busied herself in making tea. Mr. Morgan did not go into the house, much to Gertrude's relief, who seemed very anxious that tea should come to an end, and the children should go to bed. Mrs. Astley at length asked her why she was in such a hurry, and she answered that she was tired.

Georgey and Alice, however, were so full of what they had seen at the fair, that they every now and then forgot all about their bread and butter, and had to be jogged on by Gertrude again and again.

'There! I am sure you don't want any more,' said Gertrude at length. You had better all go upstairs. I shall go too, mamma,' she added; 'so good-night.'

'Good-night, my dear child,' said Mrs. Astley, kissing her, with delight at Gertrude's unusual goodness.

Gertrude offers to put Georgey to Bed. 279

Gertrude and Georgey slept in the room with Mrs. Astley. The other children were removed from this room by a passage. Edith, little woman as she was, prepared to go into her mother's bedroom and undress Georgey as usual; but Gertrude pushed her aside, saying, 'I can put him to bed, of course. You and the others go to your

own rooms.'

But when Gertrude was alone in the bedroom with her little brother, the clock struck seven.

'Good gracious, Georgey!' said she; 'I had no idea it was so late. Look here; will you be a very good boy, and do as I tell you? and to-morrow I will give you lots and lots of sweets.'

Georgey nodded his head slowly at the mention of the sweets. Gertrude had just unloosed and pulled off the child's boots.

"There,' said she, 'you can finish undressing yourself, Georgey; can't you?'

'I don't know,' said Georgey.

'Oh yes, you can, child,' said Gertrude, impatiently. 'Here, I will undo your belt. You can take off the rest of your things, and put on your bedgown. I cannot wait a moment. I said I would be there at half-past six. Now, Georgey, mind you're a good boy. Go to bed and go to sleep; and remember, lots of sweets to-morrow.'

'Where you going, Gertie ?' asked Georgey, sitting on the edge of the bed without making an effort to undress himself. 'Never you mind; I am going nowhere; only I don't feel inclined to go to bed so early, now I am upstairs.

Make haste and go to sleep;' and Gertrude, with her boots in her hand, gently left the bedroom, and crept down the stairs without making any noise. She knew that the entrance door was open, for she had purposely left it so when they had come in, and the night was so warm, that Mrs. Astley would not have closed it. So, like a thief, she crept along, holding her breath, and listening at every step, until she reached the garden, passed through the little gate, and then, no longer afraid of being heard, she began running rapidly through the fields. Once or twice she thought she heard footsteps running after her, but she concluded it was her own fancy. Edith and Alice would have been asleep before now; and Gertrude was sure her mother would never dream of any deception being practised upon her, unless she was warned. of it by some one else.

'Well, I hope you feel ashamed of yourself, Miss Gertrude,' exclaimed the voice of Loo Clarke, as Gertrude reached, breathless, the stile at the end of the first field. 'We have come all this distance to meet you. We thought you meant to throw us over altogether. Why, do you know it is just half an hour later than the time you agreed to be here? Carry, just look at your gold watch again, and show Gertrude that it is half-past seven.'

Gertrude had encountered this violent assault of words in silence, partly because she had little breath with which

At

to speak, and partly because there was no pause in Miss Loo's address to give her a loophole for an answer. length she commenced