"How kind of you, Miss Urquhart! Let me introduce my big daughter. She quite frightens me by her size, but time flies, and she has grown much since I last saw her. I must get accustomed to take the back place when I have her with me." Gavine made no reply. She dropped her book, and sat silently listening to the chatter around her. When talk got on the frost, and the signs of it yielding, Sidney left Austin to Mrs. Norman, and turned to the girl. "I have heard so much about you from Jockie, that I have longed to meet you," she said. Gavine smiled, and when she smiled, her face was beautiful. "Jockie is a dear; she sees no fault in her friends." "Have you seen her yet?" "Yes; she came over yesterday. We are going to take a long walk together to-morrow if fine." "Do you hunt?" "I have never been on horseback in my life." "I was wondering if you would find it dull here. But I expect you have resources." "I never want to kill time," said Gavine, looking at Sidney with glowing eyes; "it is too precious for that." "I hear you are a great reader." "I love it—as a relaxation." Sidney began to wonder if she were priggish or in deadly earnest. Her mother turned round at that moment. "Mr. de Cressiers is asking whether you skate, Gavine. He says the ice is bearing." "Yes," she said a little indifferently. "I have skated up in the north." Austin looked across at her with some eagerness. "We are going to open our grounds to-morrow, for we have some big fish-ponds which are in first-rate condition. You will come, won't you? We'll adjourn to the house for lunch." "I don't think she has any skates with her," said Mrs. Norman slowly. "That doesn't matter, we will turn out ours. I know we have a lot of odd pairs. And you'll come too, and if you don't know how to skate, I will teach you." He turned an adoring eye upon the young widow. Gavine regarded him gravely for a minute, then she said to Sidney: "Will you be there, Miss Urquhart?" "I—I hope so, and Jockie must come too." "I thought Jockie taught in the morning." "Oh, I dare say Miss Pembroke will give Chuckles a holiday." "I should hope she won't, for Jockie's sake," Gavine said earnestly. "When she does undertake a thing, she ought to stick to it. That was her great fault at school, she was brilliantly clever, but would never persevere." "And perseverance comes easily to you?" Sidney asked with a smile. "Yes, I lack in initiative. I can't start things, but when once started I'm all right. Jockie is a very good starter." Sidney was interested in the girl; not so much in what she said, but in the smouldering fires which shone in her deep blue eyes, and in the changing expression of her face. She said to her: "You take life earnestly, Miss Norman." "Who wouldn't? Oh, Miss Urquhart, it is a tremendous thing, isn't it? There is so much to gain, and so much to lose." Her lips quivered. She touched the volume she had been reading.