Dinah leaned her face suddenly against the caressing hand.  “Not much, I’m afraid,” she whispered.

“Poor little girl!” Isabel murmured again compassionately.

CHAPTER XIV

THE PURPLE EMPRESS

Colonel De Vigne once more wore his most magisterial air when after breakfast on the following morning he drew Dinah aside.

She looked at him with swift apprehension, even with a tinge of guilt.  His lecture of the previous morning was still fresh in her mind.  Could he have seen her on the ice with Sir Eustace on the previous night, she asked herself?  Surely, surely not!

Apparently he had, however; for his first words were admonitory.

“Look here, young lady, you’re making yourself conspicuous with that three-volume-novel baronet:  You don’t want to be conspicuous, I suppose?”

Her face burned crimson at the question.  Then he had seen, or at least he must know, something!  She stood before him, too overwhelmed for speech.

“You don’t, eh?” he insisted, surveying her confusion with grim relentlessness.

“Of course not!” she whispered at last.

He put a hand on her shoulder.  “Very well then!  Don’t let there be any more of it!  You’ve been a good girl up till now but the last two days seem to have turned your head.  I shan’t be able to give a good report to your mother when we get home if this sort of thing goes on.”

Dinah’s heart sank still lower.  The thought of the return home had begun to dog her like an evil dream.

With a great effort she met the Colonel’s stern gaze.  “I am very sorry,” she faltered.  “But—­but Lady Grace did say I might go and see Mrs. Everard—­the invalid sister—­yesterday.”

“I know she did.  She thought you had been flirting with Sir Eustace long enough.”

Dinah’s sky began to clear a little.  “Then you don’t mind my going to see her?” she said.

“So long as you are not there too often,” conceded the Colonel.  “The younger brother is a nice little chap.  There is no danger of your getting up to mischief with him.”

Dinah’s face burned afresh at the suggestion.  He evidently did not actually know; but he suspected very strongly.  Still it was a great relief to know that all intercourse with these wonderful new friends of hers was not to be barred.

“There was some talk of a sleigh-drive this afternoon,” she ventured, after a moment.  “Mr. Studley is taking his sister and she asked me to go too.  May I?”

“You accepted, I suppose?” demanded the Colonel.

“I said I thought I might,” Dinah admitted.  And then very suddenly she caught a kindly gleam in his eyes, and summoned courage for entreaty.  “Do please—­please—­let me go!” she begged, clasping his arm.  “I shan’t ever have any fun again when this is over.”

“How do you know that?” said the Colonel gruffly.  “Yes, you can go—­you can go.  But behave yourself soberly, there’s a good girl.  And remember—­no running after the other fellow to-night!  I won’t have it.  Is that understood?”