When we landed at the boat-house, the church clock was just chiming the half-hour past one. The lateness of the hour shocked me. “Never mind,” said he. “They are sure not to have all gone to bed yet. I’ll take you in by a side-door I know, and you shall slip into the library and open a big book before you. And I’ll bring in Cole and one or two others, and say we didn’t know what had become of you; and you can pretend to have fallen asleep over a book.” “But why should I do all that?” said I. “I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of. You said Lady Mills would not mind.” “No, of course not, my dear child; I’ll tell Lady Mills all about it. Don’t trouble your head about that. She won’t say a word to you, and you need not say a word to her. But none of the other ladies could have done a thing so unusual as you have in your innocence--and--and Sir Jonas would scold you for your rashness, and say you might have taken cold.” “But it wouldn’t look innocent to pretend I had never been out at all, Mr. Carruthers. And I wasn’t alone; I was with you--so I was all right. I dare say Lady Mills has not gone to bed yet. I’ll go and see.” And I ran away before he could prevent me, and found Lady Mills and Mrs. Clowes in the drawing-room, the former looking anxious and grave, the latter hard and angry. “My dear child, where have you been? We thought you were lost!” Her voice trembled. “Oh, Lady Mills, I am so sorry! I went on the water with Mr. Carruthers. He said you would not mind; but I ought to have known better when it was so late.” “The later the better, my dear, I should say,” said Mrs. Clowes, in her most cutting tone. But Lady Mills’s face was lightening as she looked at me. “Don’t you know, my dear, that Mr. Carruthers is one of the most dangerous men--” Then she stopped, for Mr. Carruthers had come into the room; and, turning from me to him, she said, in such a stern voice that it made me tremble-- “Tom, aren’t you just a little ashamed of yourself?” And he answered very gravely-- “Perhaps; but that doesn’t matter. This inquisition is out of place, Stephana, for it is easy to see that to that child night and day are all the same; and, if I had been my respected father in iniquity himself, she would have been none the worse for my society. It was very sensible of you to come to Lady Mills, child,” said he to me kindly. And he shook hands with me, and Lady Mills kissed me, and Mrs. Clowes gave me a cold little bow; and they sent me off to bed without knowing even then the enormity of the breach of propriety I had committed.