Mr. Leighton had met them pretty nearly half way. He had travelled with them, and in town had seen them into the train for Ridgetown. "And he told me," said Mrs. Leighton, "that he had an important meeting which would keep him employed for the better part of the day." "So he had," said Mabel. "It’s just like John," said Mrs. Leighton to Aunt Katharine. "One might have known he wouldn’t stay away from these girls." She smiled largely as she remembered his protestations of the morning. "Oh, well," said Aunt Katharine dingily, "it would have been nicer of him to have told you. You never were very firm with John." Robin Meredith came in the evening when they were assembled with Mr. Leighton in the drawing-room and the girls were playing once more. They played and sang with a fine new confidence and abandonment which made up to Mr. Leighton for long weary months of waiting. Mabel, mostly on account of her father’s commendation, was quite composed and cheerful as she shook hands with Robin. Robin would not have minded the composure, but the cheerfulness wounded him a trifle. Mr. Leighton considered that his future life had more promise in it now that he saw Robin unnerved. If it were not for the beautiful ease of Mabel’s manner, he should have felt uncertain as to the consequences of all that had happened. But Mabel was so serenely right in every way that his last fear melted. Mabel herself began to wonder at her own placidity. She looked with thankfulness on the scene before her, all her family and Elma given back to her, every one loyal, untouched by the influence which she had so feared before, Isobel going to be married to a man from whom she was glad to feel herself freed, her home intact. Yet a bitter mist gathered in her mind and obliterated the joyousness. How wicked of her--to complain with everything here so lovely before her. No, not everything. Mabel, in the darkness that night before falling asleep, held her hand to her eyes. No, everything had not come back to her yet. CHAPTER XXVIII Adelaide Maud The Leighton’s had been writing off the invitations for the wedding, and Elma was in her room with Adelaide Maud. This had been converted into a sitting-room so long as Elma remained a convalescent. Elma had asked Isobel if she might have just one invitation for a special friend of her own. Now who was this friend, Mrs. Leighton wondered? She was surprised when Elma asked her, without any embarrassment for Mr. Symington’s address. "And don’t tell who it is, please, Mummy, because I have a little plot of my own on hand." She sealed and addressed this important missive quite blandly under her mother’s eyes. Mrs. Leighton could not make it out. She was inclined to fall into Aunt Katharine’s ways and say, "In my young days, young people were not so blatant." Mr. Leighton shook his head over her having allowed the invitation to go.