‘Oh, he must be very good!’ exclaimed Gillian.  ’I am sure papa will help him!  I wish I could.  Oh!’—–­with a sudden recollection—–­’I wonder what books he wants most.  I am going to Silverfold to-morrow, and there are lots of old school-books there of the boys’, doing nothing, that I know he might have.’

‘Oh, Miss Gillian, how good of you!  How delighted he would be!’

‘Do you know what he wants most?’

‘A Greek grammar and lexicon most of all,’ was the ready answer.  ’He has been trying to find them at the second-hand shop ever so long, but I am afraid there is no hope of a lexicon.  They are so large and expensive.’

’I think there is an old one of Jasper’s, if he would not mind its back being off, and lots of blots.’

’He would mind nothing.  Oh, Miss Gillian, you can’t think how happy he will be.

’If there is anything else he wants very much, how could he let me know?’ mused Gillian.  ‘Oh, I see!  What time are you at the works?’

‘Alex is there at seven; I don’t go till nine.’

’I am to be at the station at 8.40.  Could you or Maura meet me there and tell me?’

To this Kalliope agreed, for she said she could be sure of getting to her post in time afterwards, and she seemed quite overjoyed.  No one could look at her without perceiving that Alexis was the prime thought of her heart, and Gillian delighted her by repeating Aunt Adeline’s admiration of his profile, and the general opinion of his singing.

‘I am so sorry you have had to give it up,’ she added.

‘It can’t be helped,’ Kalliope said; ‘and I really have no time.’

‘But that’s not all,’ said Gillian, beginning to blush herself.

‘0h!  I hope there’s no gossip or nonsense about that,’ cried Kalliope, her cheeks flaming.

‘Only—–­’

’Not Maura?  Naughty little girl, I did not think she knew anything.  Not that there is anything to tell,’ said Kalliope, much distressed; ‘but it is dreadful that there should be such talk.’

‘I thought it was that you meant when you said you wanted advice.’

‘No one could advise me, I am afraid,’ said the girl.  ’If we could only go away from this place!  But that’s impossible, and I dare say the fancy will soon go off!’

‘Then you don’t care for him?’

‘My dear Miss Gillian, when I have seen gentlemen!’ said Kalliope, in a tone that might have cured her admirer.

They had, however, talked longer than usual, and the notes of the warning bell came up, just when Gillian had many more questions to ask, and she had to run down the garden all in a glow with eagerness and excitement, so that Aunt Ada asked if she had been standing in the sea wind.  Her affirmative was true enough, and yet she was almost ashamed of it, as not the whole truth, and there was a consciousness about her all the afternoon which made her soon regret that conversation