"Oh, Janetta, don't look so solemn! No, I did not suggest it. He met me one day when I was out with Georgie shopping, and he walked with us for a little way and found out where we lived, and all about us. And then I heard from Mrs. Smith that she had arranged with him to teach drawing to the girls. She did not know who he was, except that he had all sorts of medals and certificates and things, and that he had exhibited in the Royal Academy." "And you did not say to her openly that he was a connection of yours?" "He isn't," said Nora, petulantly. "He is _your_ connection, not mine. There was no use in saying anything, only Georgie used to giggle so dreadfully when he came near her that I was always afraid we should be found out." "You might at least have left Georgie out of your plot," said Janetta, who was very deeply grieved at Nora's revelations. "I always thought that _she_ was straightforward." "You needn't be so hard on us, Janetta," murmured Nora. "I'm sure we did not mean to be anything but straightforward." "It was not straightforward to conceal your acquaintance with Mr. Cuthbert Brand from Mrs. Smith. Especially," said Janetta, looking steadily at her sister, "if you had any idea he came there to see you." She seemed to wait for an answer, and Nora felt obliged to respond. "He never said so. But, of course"--with a little pout--"Georgie and I knew quite well. He used to send me lovely flowers by post--he did not write to me, but I knew where they came from, for he would sometimes put his initials inside the lid; and he always looked at my drawings a great deal more than the others--and he--he looked at me too, Janetta, and you need not be so unbelieving." There was such a curious little touch of Mrs. Colwyn's irritability in Nora's manner at that moment that Janetta stood and looked at her without replying, conscious only of a great sinking at the heart. Vain, affected, irresponsible, childish!--were all these qualities to appear in Nora, as they had already appeared in her mother, to lead her to destruction? Mr. Colwyn's word of warning with respect to Nora flashed into her mind. She brought herself to say at last, with dry lips-- "This must not go on." Nora was up in arms in a moment. "What must not go on? There is nothing to stop. We have done nothing wrong!" "Perhaps not," said Janetta, slowly. "Perhaps there is nothing worse than childish folly and deceit on _your_ part, but I think that Mr. Cuthbert Brand is not acting in an honorable manner at all. Either you must put a stop to it, Nora, or I shall." "What can I do, I should like to know?" "You had better tell Mrs. Smith," said the elder sister, "that Mr. Brand is a second-cousin of mine. That the connection was so distant that you had not thought of mentioning it until I pointed out to you that you ought to do so, and that you hope she will pardon you for what will certainly seem to her very underhand conduct."