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26 WILD MARGARET.
with you here I felt fit to sink into the ground! Oh, m
dear, how ever did you come here?” —
‘““* My wayward feet were wont to stray,’ ”’ quoted Mar-
garet, with a laugh.
‘* What do you say?”’ : - ae
‘‘Oh, it was only a line from. a poem, grandmamma, I ~~
lost my way, and the earl came in and found me—~”
‘* And—and spoke? And he wasn’t angry? My dear, if
I had been in your place, I should have longed for the ‘
earth to open and swallow me up!” .
Margaret laughed softly.
‘Of course you mustn’t pay any attention to. what he
said; you mustn’t take advantage of his offer about the
copying of the pictures. Copy the pictures! Good
gracious! as if you’d take such a liberty!’
Margaret opened her eyes.:
‘‘T certainly did think of talking it,’”? she said. ©
‘*Oh, dear, no; it would never do!” exclaimed the old
lady. ‘‘It was only politeness on his part to make you .
feel at your ease, and to show that he wasn’t angry. As
to his meaning it, why of course he didn’t!”
‘‘T had an impression that great noblemen like the earl ”
always meant what they said; but that’s only my igno--
rance, grandma, and, of course, I’'lldoas you wish. But,”
with a wistful glance down the gallery, ‘“I had looked’for- <
ward to painting some of them.”
‘* Well, never mind, my dear,” said the old lady sooth.
ingly; ‘you can come and look at them—sometimes
when the earl’s out or away from the Court. It would |
never do for him to find you here again.”’ -
‘*No. Isuppose next time he wouldn’t find it incumb-
ent upon him to be polite. ‘‘ Well, let’s go now, grand-
ma,’ and she turned with a sigh. .
‘‘Not that way!’ exclaimed Mrs. Hale, in a horrified
whisper, as Margaret went toward a door; ‘“‘that leads —
direct to his Jordship’s private apartments.”’ :
Margaret laughed.
‘It is quite evident that I mustn’t venture out of your
rooms alone again, grandma, or I shall get into serious
trouble!’ wee
“That you certainly will. But it’s excusable, my dear;
there aren’t many places so big, and such a maze like. Tt
took even me a long time to find my way about.” _.
She opened the proper door as she spoke, and nearly
ran against a portly gentleman, who was dignified looking
enough to be the earl’s brother.
‘Bless my heart, Mr. Stibbings!’’ exclaimed Mrs. Hale.
The butler puffed out a response in a hushed voice—
4