"Jacky!" said Freda, with a little blush of annoyance, "you are talking too much, and you know you must say _Mr._ Trefusis. I am always telling you so." "I shan't," said Jacky flatly. "He calls me 'Shaver', and I call him Trefusis. We understand each other." Freda's eyes twinkled. She was used to Jacky's insubordination with her, and I'm afraid rather condoned it. "Well," said Jacky, embarking on his tale, "mother and I was playing at bears in the hall one wet morning. 'Cause it was so wet we didn't think anyone would come. Mother was going round on the floor growling, with all her hair down. I'd pulled it down in the bear's hug, and she wanted to put it up, but I said to her,--'I say, you leave it down 'cause I think it pretty', and so she left it." "Oh, Jacky, Jacky, you silly boy!" cried Freda laughing. "Well, all of a sudden I looked up," said Jacky, "and there was Trefusis in the doorway. 'Hello, Trefusis!' said I. But instead of saying 'Hello, Shaver!' he never said a word, but stood staring at mother. I s'pose he couldn't see her because her hair was all over her, or else he was 'mazed at her for playing bears. Then mother got up and just twisted her hair round anyway, and went out of the room, and didn't come back for a long time. And Trefusis stood staring at the door, till at last he 'membered me, and looked at me and said, 'Hello, Shaver!' though it was quite hours since I'd said to him 'Hello, Trefusis!'" "Jacky, Jacky!" cried Freda, "here comes Gran, and not a minute too soon. Do you think your Aunty Hilda wants to be bored by an egotistical little boy like you?" Jacky was carried off incontinently to have a fresh toilet made--his toilet seemed always in need of readjustment--and after he had gone I turned and looked at Freda. She looked back at me steadily, and again the wounded and angry flush, which I had seen once before, rose in her cheeks. Her foot tapped the ground impatiently. "It would be a good thing for Jacky," I said wistfully, for I liked Mr. Trefusis. "Never, Hilda, never!" said Freda. "How can you think of it, loving your husband as you do? The Hazeldines will take care of Jacky, but if they did not, I could still refuse him such a sacrifice as that. I will meet Jim with my marriage vow to him unbroken." The tears flashed in her eyes as I bent to kiss her. Poor Mr. Trefusis! CHAPTER XXXII. THE RESTORATION OF BRANDON. After all, who do you think it was of all the Brandons that brought the fortune back to Brandon? You would never guess. Well, it was Aline, and now I will tell you how that came about.