"Dear me!" said Lady Lufton. "I declare you have been very prompt. And so Miss Robarts is over there! I should have thought Mr. Crawley would have made a difficulty about the children."
"Well, he did; but they kidnapped them—that is, Lucy and Mark did. The dean gave me such an account of it. Lucy brought them out by two's and packed them in the pony carriage, and then Mark drove off at a gallop while Mr. Crawley stood calling to them in the road. The dean was there at the time, and saw it all."
"That Miss Lucy of yours seems to be a very determined young lady when she takes a thing into her head," said Lady Lufton, now sitting down for the first time.
"Yes, she is," said Mrs. Robarts, having laid aside all her pleasant animation for the discussion which she dreaded was now at hand.
"A very determined young lady," continued Lady Lufton. "Of course, my dear Fanny, you know all this about Ludovic and your sister-in-law?"
"Yes, she has told me about it."
"It is very unfortunate—very."
"I do not think Lucy has been to blame," said Mrs. Robarts; and as she spoke the blood was already mounting to her cheeks.
"Do not be too anxious to defend her, my dear, before any one accuses her. Whenever a person does that, it looks as though their cause were weak."
"But my cause is not weak as far as Lucy is concerned; I feel quite sure that she has not been to blame."
"I know how obstinate you can be, Fanny, when you think it necessary to dub yourself any one's champion. Don Quixote was not a better knight-errant than you are. But is it not a pity to take up your lance and shield before an enemy is within sight or hearing? But that was ever the way with your Don Quixotes."
"Perhaps there may be an enemy in ambush." That was Mrs. Robarts' thought to herself, but she did not dare to express it, so she remained silent.
"My only hope is," continued Lady Lufton, "that when my back is turned you fight as gallantly for me."
"Ah! you are never under a cloud, like poor Lucy."
"Am I not? But, Fanny, you do not see all the clouds. The sun does not always shine for any of us, and the down-
