‘I don’t think I ever was more shocked in my life,’ returned Gillian.

’But, Gill, she’s a nasty, stuck-up, conceited little ape, that Maura White, or whatever her ridiculous name is.  They pretend her father was an officer, but he was really a bad cousin of old Mr. White’s that ran away; and her mother is not a lady—–­a great fat disgusting woman, half a nigger; and Mr. White let her brother and sister be in the marble works out of charity, because they have no father, and she hasn’t any business to be at the High School.’

‘White, did you say?  Maura White!’ exclaimed Gillian.  ’Captain White dead!  Oh, Fergus! it must be Captain White.  He was in the dear old Royal Wardours, and papa thought so much of him!  To think of your going and treating his daughter in that shocking way!’

‘It was what Stebbing said,’ gruffly answered Fergus.

‘If you let yourself be led by these horrid cads—–­’

‘He is no such thing!  He is the crack bat of Edgar’s—–­’

’A boy is a cad who can’t behave himself to a girl because she is poor.  I really think the apology to me was the worst part or the matter.  He only treats people well when he sees they can take care of themselves.’

‘I’ll tell him about Captain White,’ said Fergus, a little abashed.

’Yes.  And I will get the aunts to call on Mrs. White, and that may help them to a better level among these vulgar folk.’

‘But you won’t—–­’ said Fergus, with an expressive pause.

’I won’t get you into trouble, for I think you are sorry you treated one of our own in such a manner.’

‘I wouldn’t, indeed, if I had known.’

’I shall only explain that I have found out whom Maura belongs to.  I should go and see them at once, only I must make Val find out where she lives.’

So Gillian returned home, communicating the intelligence with some excitement that she had discovered that Valetta’s schoolmate, Maura White, was none other than the daughter of her father’s old fellow-soldier, whose death shocked her greatly, and she requested to go and call on Mrs. White as soon as she could learn her abode.

However, it seemed to be impossible that any one should live in Rockstone unknown to Aunt Jane.

‘White?’ she said.  ’It can’t be the Whites down by Cliffside.  No; there’s a father there, though he generally only comes down for Sunday.’

‘I am sure there are some Whites on the Library list,’ said Miss Ada.

’Oh yes; but she washes!  I know who they must be.  I know in Bellevue there are some; but they go to the Kennel Church.  Didn’t you come home, Ada, from that function you went to with Florence, raving about the handsome youth in the choir?’

’Oh yes, we thought it such an uncommon, foreign face, and he looked quite inspired when he was singing his solo.’

’Yes; I found out that his name was White, a clerk or something in the marble works, and that he had a mother and sister living at Bellevue.  I did see the sister when I went to get the marble girls into the G.F.S., but she said something foolish about her mother not liking it.’