Satisfied that her brother was in no imminent danger with Grey Stuart present, little Miss Rosebury made no opposition to a walk round; the doctor thinking that perhaps, now the ice was broken, he might manage to prevail. "How beautiful the garden is!" said the little lady, to turn the conversation. "Beautiful, yes! but, my dear madam," exclaimed the doctor, in didactic tones, "a garden in Malaya, where I ask you to go--the jungle gorgeous with flowers--the silver river sparkling in the eternal sunshine--the green of the ever-verdant woods--the mountains lifting--" "Thank you, doctor," said the little lady, "that is very pretty; but when I was a young girl they took me to see the `Lady of Lyons,' and I remember that a certain mock prince describes his home to the lady something in that way--a palace lifting to eternal summer--and lo! as they say in the old classic stories, it was only a gardener's cottage after all!" The matter-of-fact little body had got over her emotion, and this remark completely extinguished the doctor for the time. VOLUME ONE, CHAPTER TEN. MISS ROSEBURY SPEAKS SERIOUSLY. The next day, when the visitors had been driven back by the Reverend Arthur, his sister met him upon the step, and taking his arm, led him down the garden to the vine-house. "Let us go in here, Arthur," she said. "It is such a good place to talk in; there is no fear of being overheard." "Yes, it is a quiet retired place," he said thoughtfully. "I hope you were careful in driving, and had no accident, Arthur?" "N-no; I had no accident, only I drove one wheel a little up the bank in Sandrock Lane." "How was that? You surely did not try to pass another carriage in that narrow part?" "N-no," hesitated the Reverend Arthur. "Let me see, how was it? Oh, I remember. Miss Perowne had made some remark to me, and I was thinking of my answer." "And nearly upset them," cried Miss Rosebury. "Oh! Arthur--Arthur, you grow more rapt and dreamy every day; What is coming to you I want to know?" The Reverend Arthur started guiltily, and gazed at his sister. "Oh! Arthur," she cried, shaking a warning finger at him, "you are neglecting your garden and your natural history pursuits to try and make yourself a cavalier of dames, and it will not do. There--there, I won't scold you; but I am beginning to think that it will be a very good thing when our visitors have gone for good." The Reverend Arthur sighed, and half turned away to snip off two or three tendrils from a vine-shoot above his head. "I want to talk to you very seriously, Arthur," said the little lady, whose cheeks began to flush slightly with excitement; and she felt relieved as she saw her brother turn a little more away. "I want to talk to you very seriously indeed," said Miss Rosebury. "I am listening," he said hoarsely; but she did not notice it in her excitement.