“I will help you to pick them up,” said the young lady; and Lord John, taking a long step forward as if his attention had been suddenly roused, said, “Can I be of use? I’ll help too.” Meantime her Grace, who had turned round at Lady Chatty’s cry, stood for a moment surprised, regarding the group all kneeling on the floor, picking up the flowers, and then turned back to have a colloquy with Miss Jean, in which the words “Drumcarro’s daughter,” and “Glendochart,” and “a wilful girl,” and “a good marriage,” and Miss Jean’s deprecating explanation, “I told her so. I told her so, your Grace, but she would not listen to me,” came to Kirsteen’s ears in her anxiety, while she eluded the touch of Lord John’s hand, and tried to respond to all Lady Chatty’s eager questions. “Oh, Kirsteen, you should hear what Miss Eelen says of you,” said Lady Chatty, “and poor old Glendochart, who is such a nice old man. Why were you so unkind? But I would not marry an old gentleman myself, not if he were a royal duke,” cried the girl, raising her voice a little not without intention. “And how clever it was of you to think of coming here! Nobody would ever have found you here if mamma had not taken it into her head to come to Miss Jean’s to-day. But oh, Kirsteen, it is a pity, for they will send you home again. I am glad to have seen you, but I am sorry, for mamma is coming to talk seriously to you. I can see it in her face. And papa will hear of it, and he will think it his duty to take an interest. And between them they will make you go home again. And when once they get you back, they will marry you to old Glendochart, whether you like or not!” END OF VOL. I. PRINTING OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER. COLLECTION OF BRITISH AUTHORS TAUCHNITZ EDITION. VOL. 2720. KIRSTEEN BY MRS. OLIPHANT. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. KIRSTEEN THE STORY OF A SCOTCH FAMILY SEVENTY YEARS AGO BY MRS. OLIPHANT, AUTHOR OF “THE CHRONICLES OF CARLINGFORD,” ETC. ETC. _COPYRIGHT EDITION._ IN TWO VOLUMES.--VOL. II. LEIPZIG BERNHARD TAUCHNITZ 1891. KIRSTEEN. CHAPTER I. And indeed the Duchess did come forward with the gravest looks, after the flowers had all been gathered up and restored to the box and her talk was over with Miss Jean. “Miss Douglas,” she said, “I am much surprised to find you here.”