"But she makes such mistakes. I have to try and teach her the ways of my world if she is to be treated as my sister." Peter shook his head. "Well anyhow," he said, "don't try and make her like yourself. Imitations are always uninteresting and generally bad." CHAPTER XII MISS GREGSON'S HEART SINKS "I hope I was not wrong in having up tea before you came home this afternoon," said Meg, "Mr. Fortescue and his friend were just awful hungry." Her companion hastily put her hands over her pretty little ears, exclaiming— "Awful hungry! Oh Meg, how can you say such things! It is better not to talk at all than to make such fearful mistakes." "I'm sorry," said Meg miserably. "I wonder how you have been talking to Mr. Fortescue and his friend," continued Sheila severely, "and, by the bye, you must try and not look quite so eager during your conversations. It's scarcely the thing to show your feelings in the way that you do. People of the world in which you now live, do their utmost to hide emotion. When a girl looks with such extraordinary animation into the face of her companion as you were doing this afternoon, it attracts attention and makes one wonder what the conversation is about. What were you talking about?" Meg was silent. If it had not been Sheila who was questioning her she would have been angry, but anger with Sheila was quite out of the question. Had not she done everything in the world for her? But for all that the girl was silent for a moment; not because she did not wish her companion to know what her conversation with Peter had been about, but because she found it difficult to explain herself. They were sitting in the garden after dinner with their books, but neither of them had made much progress in their reading as both were busy with their thoughts. Sheila had forgotten her vexation with her protégé and was going over in her mind her conversation with Peter, when Meg interrupted her train of thought by her question. Now however that her companion had reminded her of the events of the afternoon her old feeling of vexation returned. "I was telling Mr. Fortescue how ignorant I felt," said Meg. "I almost think that you had better make those kind of confessions to me," said Sheila coldly. "We don't want to be constantly reminding people of our mistakes. The great thing, Meg, is to try with all your power to improve. Now at this concert that I am giving next month, do try and remember that it is far better to be silent than to forget your grammar and to use those terrible expressions."