Freda drew well in water-colours, and had before her, as she sat in the embrasure of one of the windows of that charming morning-room, a half-finished sketch of Colonel Vaughan’s place, which he had begged her to take for him.  Hitherto it had been untouched; now she began to work at it with pretended vigour, whilst Miss Hall took up the little frock she was making for a poor child, which had been laid down during the discussion, and also made believe to stitch and sew industriously.

But there was a flush on her cheek, and a tremor in her voice, as she began to tell Freda the little passage in her life to which she had alluded.  Freda was conscious of this, and accordingly devoted herself more energetically to her drawing.

’It was when I was just eighteen, Freda, and during my beaux jours, before my father had lost his fortune, or been obliged to retire from the army on half-pay on account of that dreadful paralytic stroke—­before my sister’s imprudent marriage, and consequent emigration to Australia—­before my dear mother’s death.  We were a happy and gay family, and I had then more pride and higher spirits than you would probably give me credit for now.

’I was visiting a friend who had married the head-master of one of our principal grammar schools.  Amongst his tutors there was a young man of whom he was very fond, and who used to be a good deal with his family after the duties of the day were over.  It is just possible that he was a countryman of yours, for his name was Jones.’

’Oh, Serena! you don’t mean to say that you fell in love with a Jones in England, and then came into Wales to be in the midst of that very ancient and numerous family.’

’I have not come to the love part yet, Freda.  He was a very quiet and unobtrusive person, but, my friends said, very amiable and sufficiently clever.  I know that I used to take an unkind delight in teasing him, and that he was rather clever in repartee, and never spared me in return.  I liked him as an amusing companion, and had no objection to his getting me books or flowers, or whatever lay within his reach that might be agreeable to me.  Moreover, I pitied him, because I was told that both his parents were dead, and that he was working hard to pay for his own course at college, whither he intended to go as soon as he could get the means.

’As my father was with his regiment abroad at this time, and my mother and sister were making a round of visits amongst our Scotch friends, I stayed a long time with the Merryweathers.  They were very pleasant people, and had an agreeable circle of acquaintance.

’But that has nothing to do with my story.  The evening before I left them to return home, my friend, Mr Jones, managed to be alone with me; how, I never found out, for he ought to have been with the boys—­and committed a similar misdemeanour to that of poor Rowland Prothero.  He had unfortunately lost his heart to me—­so he said, and was constrained to tell me so.  Would I think of him, if, in the course of time, he could enter the church and marry me?