The Third Miss St Quentin

The interview with her father turned out satisfactorily for Madelene. Each was suffering from inward consciousness of having acted to some extent unreasonably, and each felt a k...

"At least," she thought to herself, for a moment throwing her prejudice and irritation aside, "at least I have no reason to be anything but _proud_ of my belongings. They are bo...

Fraulein Braune was sitting in her modest lodging over the Coombe post-office when the door opened and the maid-servant announced a visitor. The good lady started up in surprise...

A very little girl was sitting on the rug in front of a brightly burning fire. She was amusing herself with picture books, a number of which were scattered about her, but her sm...

When his daughters were leaving the room that evening after dinner, Colonel St Quentin detained Madelene by an almost imperceptible gesture. On her side Madelene glanced at Ermi...

"Our dance, I think, Miss St Quentin," said Major Frost, when, after searching some time for Madelene, he discovered her at last in the tea-room. "The second polka it is," and a...

Ella woke the next morning with that most delightful of all delightful feelings--the vague consciousness of something nice having happened ere she fell asleep. She slowly, half...

This was what Mrs Burton had to tell. On the evening her niece had left Coombesthorpe she had been startled by a telegram from Madelene, inquiring if Ella were with her, to whic...

"Of course she must go; it would seem like dictating to my lady to make any difficulty about it," Colonel St Quentin replied, when the subject of the Cheynesacre invitation was...

"Good-night, and good-bye for the present, though I shall be coming over to Coombesthorpe in a day or two. I am going home very early to-morrow morning, before any of you good p...

The primroses were over--the paler hues of spring were giving place to the richer and fuller beauty of early summer when Ella found herself once more at Coombesthorpe. It was th...

"Receive her cordially of course. What else in Heaven's name can you do?" Sir Philip replied with a touch of impatience. "After all there is nothing so extraordinary in a girl's...

Ella spent the afternoon of her sisters' departure in praiseworthy fashion. She acted up that is to say to the _role_, she had chosen to adopt. She prepared her lessons perfectl...

Summer, not spring now. But the same garden and the same people in it-- three of them, that is to say, little chance though there might be at the first glance, of our recognisin...

"I don't mind having some singing lessons," said Ella, twisting round on the piano stool, where she had established herself for the sake of conveniently examining her sisters' m...

"Why not?" Ella retorted, sharply still--the "little" was unfortunate. "I am Ella St Quentin and I have never pretended to be any one else; but at my age people are not spoken o...

The summer was gone; autumn itself was almost giving place to winter. Ella St Quentin looked out of the window one morning as she finished dressing, and shivered as she saw the...

The letter was soon written. But then came the question of how to post it. Ella would not send it openly with the rest of the letters as usual, for she was afraid of Madelene's...

"Will you be so kind," she began, "if it is not too much trouble--would you mind taking this little parcel to my godmother?" and she held up a small packet just twice the size o...

"Not if I took you? I was asked of course--they are very old friends, and I did not answer definitely, not being sure when I was returning home. Indeed till this morning I thoug...