He sank down, half dressed, on the bed with his head on his breast, leaving his boots and Mary Ann's gloves scattered about the floor. He was angry, humiliated; he felt like laughing, and he felt like sobbing. At last he roused himself, finished dressing, and rang for breakfast. Rosie brought it up. "Hullo! Where's Mary Ann?" he said lightly. "She's above work now," said Rosie, with an unamiable laugh. "You know about her fortune." "Yes; but your mother told me she insisted on going about her work till Monday." "So she said yesterday--silly little thing! But to-day she says she'll only help mother in the kitchen--and do all the boots of a morning. She won't do any more waiting." "Ah!" said Lancelot, crumbling his toast. "I don't believe she knows what she wants," concluded Rosie, turning to go. "Then I suppose she's in the kitchen now?" he said, pouring out his coffee down the side of his cup. "No, she's gone out now, sir." "Gone out!" He put down the coffee-pot--his saucer was full. "Gone out where?" "Only to buy things. You know her vicar is coming to take her away the day after tomorrow, and mother wanted her to look tidy enough to travel with the vicar; so she gave her a sovereign." "Ah yes; your mother said something about it." "And yet she won't answer the bells," said Rosie, "and mother's asthma is worse, so I don't know whether I shall be able to take my lesson to-day, Mr. Lancelot. I'm so sorry, because it's the last." Rosie probably did not intend the ambiguity of the phrase. There was real regret in her voice. "Do you like learning, then?" said Lancelot, softened, for the first time, towards his pupil. His nerves seemed strangely flaccid to-day. He did not at all feel the relief he should have felt at foregoing his daily infliction. "Ever so much, sir. I know I laugh too much, sometimes; but I don't mean it, sir. I suppose I couldn't go on with the lessons after you leave here?" She looked at him wistfully. "Well"--he had crumbled the toast all to little pieces now--"I don't quite know. Perhaps I shan't go away after all." Rosie's face lit up. "Oh, I'll tell mother," she exclaimed joyously. "No, don't tell her yet; I haven't quite settled. But if I stay--of course the lessons can go on as before." "Oh, I _do_ hope you'll stay," said Rosie, and went out of the room with airy steps, evidently bent on disregarding his prohibition, if, indeed, it had penetrated to her consciousness.