gentlemen's liberation from study, would have effectually prevented her being heard.

"No wonder," she thought, "Miss Harriet disliked me, if I was anything like as unbearable as these children."

A visit from her nephew, Arthur Lawrence, turned the course of Mrs. Greaves's ideas for a day or two. He was pleasant and lively as ever, but as he came expressly for shooting, he was very little in the house, and it was with some difficulty that Helen found an opportunity of thanking him for his kind exertions in her behalf, a subject which could not well be mentioned before Mrs. Lawrence or her daughter, whose neglect alone had made any interference necessary. Many were the small services required of her by Mrs. Greaves. She really

seemed to have as much to do for her, as she had when at home for Mrs. Patterson. Not that there were mistakes in her work to be rectified, but she was apt to grow weary of it, and she made over to Helen a tedious piece of beadwork to finish, of which she was tired. Before however this task could be accomplished, Helen received a summons to return to Lumsdale. Mrs. Patterson had been taken ill during her stay at Framsley, and though sufficiently recovered to return home, still required much atten. tion; Helen could no longer be spared, she must go back the next day. The letter was from Mrs. Allan, and the tone was so peremptory, that Helen felt convinced that in her capacity

of nurse her patience had been considerably tried.

She had no regret in leaving the Grange. Mrs. Lawrence was good-natured to her, but the children were troublesome, and their mother seemed only anxious to make her useful both to them and herself, and was constantly referring, though so vaguely as to afford no opportunity for an answer, to the time when Helen would return as their permanent governess. Very soon after her arrival, she had heard with dismay, that Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Lawrence and their daughters were shortly expected, she could have no pleasure in seeing them, and had been considering upon what plea she could shorten her visit when this unexpected recall to Lumsdale came most opportunely, just in time to prevent the meeting.

It was a disappointment, however, not to revisit Stoke, where she was to have returned, when her stay at the Grange was over, to attend her cousin's wedding, but under present circumstances she did not feel it much, for she was anxious to be again at her post; Mrs. Patterson had parted with her with reluctance, and, though it appeared from the letter that recalled her, that no danger was apprehended, she knew from former experience how much her attendance must be needed.

CHAPTER XIV.

"Would you touch a nettle without being stung by it, take hold of it stoutly. Do the same to other annoyances, and few things will ever annoy you."-Guesses at Truth.

Helen had hardly realized till now, how truly Lumsdale was her home. Turner herself opened the door, and answered her eager inquiries after Mrs. Patterson, with exclamations of joy at seeing her again.

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Well, I am sure it's a good thing you are come. Better? oh yes, she is much better." "And down stairs ?" asked Helen.

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Yes, come in, you are sadly wanted; I should be glad to see you at any rate, but to be sure I have had something to do between her and Mrs. Allan."

"This room?" said Helen, when Turner opened the door of the right hand room.

"Yes, go in, you'll soon hear enough about it," muttered Turner, as she shut the door..

Mrs. Patterson welcomed her affectionately; though still weak, she was fast progressing towards recovery, but that one thing puzzled

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Helen exceedingly, how came the old lady to have changed her sitting-room? There she was, looking just as usual, the easy chair, the tea table, the work basket and Joe, only the whole was inverted, she was in the right hand room. Helen had hardly taken her accustomed place as tea maker before the mystery was solved.

"You are surprised to find me here, child, I dare say, and very uncomfortable it is, as you may judge, for I must either sit with my back to the light or my left hand to the bell, but it will not signify so much now you are come."

"What can have made you change your room, ma'am; do you mean to go on sitting here?"

"Mrs. Allan did not think it worth while to tell you, I suppose, that there are new tenants come next door, who would have made me quite ill, if I had not got out of their way."

Helen grew more and more curious. "No, I have not heard a word about it, how very unfortunate, but what did they do?"

"If you want to know, you have only to go and sit in that room for an hour or two after breakfast to morrow, and you will hear enough to satisfy you. Why they have got a pianoforte, child, against the wall of my room, and there they sit strumming for hours, and sometimes singing their scale, I believe, but I have sent to Mr. Calvert about it."

Mr. Calvert was Mrs. Patterson's landlord, indeed the whole of Marlborough Buildings be

longed to him. He was the principal bookseller in Lumsdale, and had a large shop in the market place. Helen had often been sent there with messages to him from Mrs. Patterson, which were sometimes sufficiently troublesome and vexatious, for she was what might be called an unreasonable tenant. The answers were of course generally unsatisfactory, and Mr. Patterson had been more than once called in to act as mediator between landlord and tenant.

Helen disliked few things so much as being sent to Mr. Calvert, so she asked, in some trepidation, "Can he do anything for you? Have you seen him yet?"

"No, he was out both times when I sent, and very likely they do not give him the message, but I shall go on till he chooses to be at home, I can tell him.”

"Perhaps if they knew you were annoyed they would put the pianoforte in the other room, or at any rate move it to the opposite side, as yours stands, you know, ma'am."

"I am afraid they are troublesome people, for I sent John, as soon as I heard it, when they could not possibly have finished putting the house to rights, and, as far as I can make out, they only laughed; I am sorry to say that John is a very stupid boy, Sam was worth a dozen of him; however, if one person cannot do anything with him I shall try another."

Helen could not help fearing she might herself be the next messenger, or perhaps it might