"She has, my lady, and I am going to trouble your ladyship with the excuse for it. Some strangers were seen in the wood, and Florence here and my little boy took it into their heads, which was none of their business, to warn the keepers about them. Then, my lady, when Florence was putting Miss Lily to bed, the little lady showed her a letter which she said she had found in the wood." "Yes," said Lady Carleton; "Miss Lily told me something about that letter, but I had no time to attend to her. Well?" "My lady, she saw in that letter the name of her own brother, Harry Whittaker, and perceived it was written by Mr Alwyn Cunningham, whose story, my lady, she had heard, it seems, from my Wyn. And Florence put two and two together, and saw that 'twas her own brother and Mr Alwyn that she had set the keepers upon, and off she ran, without another thought to send Wyn to warn them. And indeed, my lady, I hardly know whether it was her place or not; certain sure she ought to have mentioned that she was going; but her brother met her and brought her home; and if your ladyship can overlook her behaviour, she'll be a good girl for the future, I do think." "But, Mrs Warren," exclaimed Lady Carleton, to whom Florence's conduct was the least part of the matter, "do you mean to say that Mr Alwyn Cunningham has returned?" "Yes, my lady, he has, and Henry Whittaker too; and I may say, your ladyship, that Henry appears to be a reformed character, and well-to-do also. And very remarkable things he had to tell us. But those it is not my business to trouble your ladyship with." Mrs Warren said no word about the confession and the jewels; that, she thought, was not her business. And now that Mr Alwyn was once more in his proper place, she had no call to discuss his character. "Of course, my lady," she said, "if your ladyship feels that you cannot overlook such a breach of propriety, I will take Florence back at once." Lady Carleton looked at the girl for a moment. "I should like Florence to stay," she said. "Will you please leave her with me now, Mrs Warren? I see that the case was exceptional." Mrs Warren thanked her ladyship, and with a discreet hope that Florence would be grateful and obedient, withdrew at once. "Come here, Florence," said Lady Carleton in the softest voice Florence had ever heard. "It was a very serious thing to do, you know, to run away without leave. It is because I think that you are a good steady girl in general that I overlook it, as you had a reason." "I ain't a good girl, Lady Carleton," said Florence. "I ain't steady, but I wasn't after nothing wrong last night." "What do you mean by saying you are not steady?" said Lady Carleton, somewhat taken aback by Florence's town-bred use of her name and by her queer manner.