"I think not; my place is here. My grandfather is very old, Miss Brandon, older than anyone would think. His age will find him out suddenly, as age does with people who have defied it beyond the natural time. He will want me then, even if he does not want me now. Think of him, old and alone, with Gaskin, in that isolated house! No, I shall stay." "You will be right," said Aline slowly. "But it is a heavy burden for young shoulders. May God protect the right!" He looked at her gratefully. Then, with a sudden impulse he took up a fold of her skirt and kissed it, and Aline put her hand on his head as if she were blessing him. They seemed to have forgotten me, so I just came out of my corner and extended a hand to him, which he took and pressed warmly. That night when I was going to bed Aline called me into her room. "Do you know, Hilda," she said, "I never thought of telling him, after all, that he was the hereditary enemy." "No more you didn't," said I cheerfully. Aline looked at me, and then smiled broadly. "You didn't conduct the interview on those grounds at all," said I; but all the same I felt that there might be a serious side to the matter. CHAPTER IX. AN IMPOSSIBLE FRIENDSHIP. "Earlier in the evening I had taken the opportunity of being alone with Esther to tell her of our discovery. She heard me quietly, though her eyes looked startled. "But it ought to make no difference, Hilda," she said, when I had finished. "It is not his fault that he is Sir Rupert's grandson." "No, indeed," I assented, "and I am sure no one would ever suppose it. Still, Aline seems to think that we ought not to let him get into our lives, so to speak, since it will probably be impossible to keep him there." "To get into our lives!" Esther repeated slowly; "but he only came such a little while ago! One does not make a stranger part of one's life quite so soon." I thought it might have been said as much to reassure herself as me; but then, again, she might have spoken quite in good faith. "No," I answered her, "only we have so few friends that it is hard to feel we must be on our guard against a new one." For a day or two we all tried hard to obey Aline's injunctions, and, without being inhospitable in any way, to leave Mr. De Lacy to his own devices more than we had been doing. This was comparatively easy, as he was getting stronger daily, and could read for himself by this time. But we had reckoned without our guest. The second or third time that Aline came to his sofa with her inquiries, into which she had infused a little shadow of formality,--for she rather repented her emotion that first day,--he put a detaining hand on her arm when she would have turned away. "Miss Brandon," he cried entreatingly, "why are you leaving me out in the cold? Why? I was so happy before, and I have had nothing for two whole days but cold politeness. What have I done?" "Nothing," said Aline. "We want you to be happy while you are here, but--"