"I'm sure she's happy, and that's the chief thing. They are to come to us at Westerbury next winter. Talking of Westerbury," continued Georgina, "Rose Darling had a letter from Westerbury this morning." "Indeed! I was not aware that Rose was acquainted with Westerbury, or any one in it. Here she comes." She had been standing outside the window, and came forward as he spoke. She had caught the sound of her own name, and wanted to know--as she had just before, in the drawing-room--why they were taking it in vain. "Miss Beauclerc says you heard from Westerbury this morning." "Well, so I did," cried Rose. "The letter was from Mary Carr. She is staying with some friends there: what's their name?--Mr. and Mrs. Travice Arkell." "Ah, yes," said Mr. St. John. "I heard from Travice not long ago." "Did he mention Lucy?" asked Georgina. "He said Lucy had sent her love to me, and that that was all he could get out of her, for she was rapturously absorbed in her new toy, the baby." "Mary Carr says you are to be its godfather," remarked Rose. "Oh, are you?" cried Georgina. "Which is it--a boy or a girl?" Mr. St. John considered, and then laughed. "I declare I don't know," he said; "it's one of the two. Travice told me, I think, but I forget. Knowing who the godmother is to be, I forgot all about the baby." "And who is it to be--Mrs. Dundyke?" "Not at all. It is a lady of a great deal more importance--in size, at any rate. Miss Fauntleroy." Georgina laughed. Rose was a little puzzled: the bygone histories were strange to her. And she was feeling cross besides. Where Rose took a fancy--and she had taken one long ago to Frederick St. John--she did not like to see attentions given to any one but her own sweet self. She tossed her head, throwing back her blue ribbons and golden curls. "Is your sister going to make a long stay with us, Rose?" he quietly asked. "My opinion is, that she'll make it just as long as you choose to ask her: for ever and a day if Sir Isaac should please. Take care of her, Frederick St. John! I never saw Charlotte put forth her attractions as she is doing now." She spoke at random--in her wild carelessness: she had never given a suspicion to the truth--that her sister was purposely trying to attract Isaac St. John. Cold, proud, arrogant; to do so, would be against Charlotte's nature, as Rose had always believed.