"Quite so, I thank you," she quietly rejoined, "Minnie and I have been strolling out together." "Did you call upon Mrs. Lilly?" asked Sylvia. "I promised to do so: she will think it unkind." "No," replied her sister; "we did not go near the village." "We went," said Minnie, raising her head boldly, "with Mr. Skaife, to see a poor girl he saved from drowning herself yesterday." As she spoke, somehow her eye fixed itself on the squire; her thought in doing so was, to show him, at all events, no distaste on her part to the society of another, however she might avoid _him_. Was it annoyance at this decision of manner which made him turn so pale, and his voice tremble slightly, as he inquired, "May I ask where?" "It was poor Widow Burns's daughter," answered Dorcas; "it is a sad affair, but, thank Heaven, Mr. Skaife saved the poor girl's life!" "Shot! Shot!" called Burton, quitting the window on which he had been leaning, and turning to seek his dog; "here, sir; come here; lie there!" and the animal howled beneath the lash of his master's whip. When he returned to the window he was calm as usual, cold and sinister in appearance. "Won't you come in, Burton?" asked Juvenal, going to the window, which looked over the wide-spreading lawn, with its old, majestic trees in clusters, and the cattle browsing beneath them; "won't you come in?" "No, I thank you," he replied carelessly. "I merely strolled this way to inquire about Miss Dalzell's health in person, as I have so seldom the pleasure of finding her at home. Charity, that cold dame, has much to answer for, in depriving us, as she does, of her society." "You would scarcely term her _cold_," answered Minnie, "had you witnessed the gratitude of Mary Burns to-day, towards Mr. Skaife." "'Pon my word!" rejoined he, in a cold, cynical tone, "your parson, Formby (he addressed himself to Juvenal), is a _preux chevalier_; something new in the colour of his cloth!" "Is humanity new?--or his act unbecoming his calling?" quietly asked Dorcas. "I am scarcely competent to answer you. _I_ have a great dislike to display: things quietly done, in my opinion, look most meritorious." "Oh!----" Minnie began. "Pray, let us change the subject," said Sylvia angrily. "I'm tired of your charities and drowned persons. It always happens that the one who saves, manages most cleverly for his deed to be known where he thinks it will benefit him." "For shame, Sylvia!" said Dorcas. "Of course," rejoined Burton, with an uncertain, uneasy glance, "you had a pathetic account of the cause; the poverty, the----" "It was not _poverty_ alone," answered Dorcas; "but, with your permission, we will drop the subject." "'Tis best," he replied carelessly; "these people are tenants of mine, and, I fear, bearing no very good name: we must get rid of them." "Talking of that," asked Juvenal, "have you succeeded in ejecting that fellow Weld?"