CHAPTER VII.

The Sisters visit Nellie-She takes them into the old Wing of the Abbey-Conjectures about the Lost Will-Nellie shows them her Sketches-Agnes is astonished at her Skill-They take her to the Waterfall, and find she is not accustomed to Country activity.

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FTER a busy morning, Agnes and Georgie

prepared to set out for the Abbey. Constance almost smiled when Georgie said— 'Now, Agnes, it is time to dress. Ah! I know what you are thinking, Constance. Very likely Nellie will wonder, too, at our very plain dress, for she wore such a handsome silk frock the day she came here. But I begin to like our never-failing white, for it gives us nothing to think about; and when I say I must dress, I mean chiefly making my hair nice, and having clean stockings and shoes.'

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That, indeed, is necessary now,' said Constance, looking at Georgie's feet, which bore unmistakeable signs of the kitchen garden.

'Ah! I have been all amongst the strawberry beds

H

this morning,' said Georgie, 'and the ground was wet. What will you do, Constance, all this afternoon?'

'I believe Mrs. Walton is going to drive to Barnley, and she asked if I would go with her.'

'Then good-bye till evening,' cried Georgie; and the two sisters were soon ready and went away. Nellie met them at the door, and greeted them very warmly. 'I was watching for you from the library window,' she said. 'Mamma set out an hour ago, and I felt so very lonely in this great house, that I am quite delighted to see some one. I cannot bear being alone, unless I am very eager indeed about some new employment.'

'If it had been evening, instead of morning,' said Georgie, laughing, 'I should say, Are you afraid of ghosts, that you so dislike being alone?'

'And I should say,' returned Nellie, ""Not a bit;" for I am afraid of nothing. Certainly, if any one were inclined to be superstitious, this is just the place to indulge in fancies.'

'Can you really think so?' said Agnes, looking round the luxurious drawing-room. I should have thought this house the last in the world to encourage anything gloomy; all is light and bright and pretty.'

'Here,' said Nellie. Oh, yes; but I meant among the ruins, and still more in that deserted old wing, neither ruin nor inhabited abode. What do you say

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to going in there this afternoon? You said you had never been in the old part.'

'I should like excessively to go there,' cried Georgie; but we have tried the doors many times, and they are locked.'

'Yes; but I know where the keys are,' said Nellie. 'Come now to dinner, and then we will have an exploring expedition.'

Agnes could not help thinking of the last time she had been in the dining-room: Lady Constance looking harassed and pale, Constance's father grave and thoughtful, and Oliver striding up and down the room. 'You have often been here, of course,' said Nellie, as they seated themselves.

'Oh yes,' replied Agnes; 'we were here a day or two before Constance's father and mother left the Abbey; and except that you are now sitting where Lady Constance sat, and that there were two gentlemen in the room besides us, everything is exactly the same, even that little silver mug that Constance always used.'

'A very sad change I think you must find it,' said Nellie, colouring; 'how you must regret them!'

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'I do regret them,' said Agnes, for I was very fond of Lady Constance and of Mr. Norland. You must not think I am rude to you to say so.'

'No, no!' cried Nellie; 'I am not going to be

affronted where no affront is meant; and I hope, in time, Constance will be able to bear the sight of me, and will make friends. I shall take great care of everything that seems to have belonged to her.' The room was rather profusely decorated with flowers. 'I see,' said Agnes, that one of Lady Constance's tastes is come to you with the house. She always had a quantity of flowers about the rooms.'

'I am glad that I have something like her,' said Nellie. Is not that picture in the breakfast-room a likeness of her? She must have been very beautiful. Your story about them, Georgie, has made me feel as if we had no business to be here; and I am sorry, for I like and admire the place so much. Do you know that Mr Norland asked if papa would like to buy the Abbey? and papa said he would rather rent it for a few years first, to see if he liked it.'

'I wonder,' said Georgie, rather pettishly, 'that he could think of selling a place that has belonged to all his ancestors.'

but I should be Shall we go out

'So do I, rather,' replied Nellie; delighted if it were really our own. now? Come with me first to get the keys of the old wing.'

Nellie led them through the library to an inner study, where stood the library table, the reading chair and desk that old Mr. Norland had used, and where

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all his favourite books had been placed. Agnes and Georgie had only once before peeped into the room, when Constance had been sent with a message to her father; and having looked upon it as a sort of sanctuary, they felt a little startled to see Nellie drag out one drawer after another in the old-fashioned table.

'Why!' exclaimed Nellie, 'the keys used to be in this little drawer; papa must have moved them.' So she pulled out several more, and at last seized upon a dingy-looking bunch of keys.

'I feel sure,' said Nellie, 'that there are some secret drawers in that old table. I mean to have such a rummage all over it some day.'

'Does your papa like you to touch his table and his things?' asked Agnes; for she knew that Constance had never been allowed to enter the library or her father's study uninvited.

'Oh !' replied Nellie, 'I do whatever I like with papa and all his things; he is the most good-natured old man that ever was. I call him "Old Man " for a pet name; but he is not really at all old. Come, now, let us see whatever we can find worth seeing.'

The sisters followed her to the little door that Constance had pointed out as the one her grandfather used; and Nellie applied a key which opened it at once. They entered a vestibule, gloomy and dusty: at either side a door admitted them into rooms which