Lady Sarah stood up and Rhoda had a good view of her. She saw that the ten years which had passed since she met her first had only served to ripen her beauty. Lady Sarah, though not quite so slim and slender, so like a fairy as she had been in the days of her girlhood, was lovelier than ever. Her dark eyes were just as bright, her complexion was as brilliant, while a little dignity of manner now added to her charms. She held out her hand graciously, and Rhoda came forward. But the moment she came within the range of light thrown by the shaded electric lamp on the table at the foot of the bed, Lady Sarah’s face changed. A look of intense horror appeared in her face, and her hand dropped, as she met Rhoda’s eyes with a startled look, and, recognising her at once, said hoarsely, under her breath: “Miss Pembury!” CHAPTER V. LADY SARAH’S RECOGNITION Rhoda was abashed and shocked by the expression on Lady Sarah’s face. She had, indeed, felt rather nervous about the meeting, but she had not expected that the sight of her would cause so much dismay to Sir Robert’s wife. There was not the least doubt that she recognised the girl in a moment. She forgot all about her child in her excitement at the meeting, and it was not until Caryl had plucked at her sleeve three or four times, that she bent over him again, and answered him. “Yes, yes, dear. I know it is Rhoda,” she said. She had recovered herself, and the next moment she had come round the little bed, seized Rhoda’s hand, and was shaking it with warmth as unexpected as her manifest horror had been. “Miss Pembury! Why, of course, I might have remembered the name! But for the moment I didn’t. It’s the Miss Rhoda Pembury who fell off her bicycle and was brought in here by Sir Robert, years and years ago, before we were married, isn’t it?” “Ye-es,” stammered Rhoda, quite bewildered by this rapid change in the lady. “Why didn’t he tell me? I should have been so much interested. He never said a word in his letters to let me know the pleasure in store for me.” This expression was rather a strong one, Rhoda thought, considering that on the solitary occasion of her seeing Lady Sarah at the Mill-house that lady had hardly condescended to address a single word to her. She hastened to give the reason for Sir Robert’s strange behaviour. “He hasn’t recognised me, Lady Sarah,” she said. “What!” Lady Sarah paused a moment, in apparent incredulity, mingled with evident embarrassment and misgiving. Then she asked, quickly: “Why didn’t you remind him?” “Well, I--I thought I’d wait till you came, to see whether you would remember me,” she stammered. “Of course I do. Although you have altered a great deal,” said Lady Sarah, with a gracious smile. “You were rather a pretty girl then, but you didn’t promise to develop as you have done.”