'No, don't go; it is so late that I would rather wait for dinner. I heard the teacups, but I was too lazy to move, and to judge from the voices, the room must have been pretty full.' 'Yes; the Cardells and the Fortescues and Gage were there.' 'Mr. Blake, too, was he not?' 'Yes, mother asked him--she wanted him to help entertain the Cardells.' 'Yes, I see; and he seems disposed to be friendly--your father has asked him to dinner to-morrow night to meet the Pagets.' 'Indeed!' and Audrey tried to suppress the pleasure she felt at this intelligence. 'Have you any objection?' She asked the question in a joking manner; to her surprise her cousin answered her quite gravely: 'Well, I think it will be a pity to take too much notice of him--he is young enough to be spoilt. People are glad to have a good-looking fellow like Blake at their parties; and, then, I hear he has a magnificent voice. I expect half the young ladies of Rutherford will be in love with him--Miss Emily Cardell among them; eh, Audrey?' 'I am sure I don't know,' returned Audrey coldly; 'Mr. Blake's good looks are nothing to me.' She spoke with unusual petulance, as though something in her cousin's remarks had not pleased her. 'Well, if you will not have some tea, Michael, I must just go back to mother and Gage;' and as Michael said no word to detain her, she moved away so quickly that she did not hear the half-stifled sigh with which Michael took up his paper again. CHAPTER XIII GERALDINE GIVES HER OPINION 'We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage of a good light.'--EMERSON. 'She has a most winning manner and a soft voice.'--_The Abbot_. Audrey was able to fulfil her promise to Mollie the very next day, when she encountered Mrs. Blake unexpectedly some little way from the town. She was just turning down a lane where one of her _protegees_, a little lame seamstress, lived, when Zack suddenly bounded round the corner and jumped on her, with one of his delighted barks, and the next moment she saw a lady in black walking very quickly towards her. She wore a large shady hat that completely hid her face, but there was no mistaking that graceful figure. Mrs. Blake had a peculiar walk: it was rapid, decided, and had a light skimming movement, that reminded Audrey of some bird flying very near the ground; and she had a singular habit as she walked of turning her head from side to side, as though scanning distant objects, which deepened this resemblance.