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"I am so pleased to make your acquaintance," she said warmly. "You only
came to Deerham a short while before I was leaving it, and I saw
scarcely anything of you. Lionel has seen a great deal of you, I fancy,
though he will not speak of you. I told him one day it looked
suspicious; that I should be jealous of you, if he did not mind."
It was a foolish speech--foolish of Sibylla to give utterance to it; but
she did so in all singleness of heart, meaning nothing. Lucy was bending
over the coral, held by Lionel. She felt her own cheeks flush, and she
saw by chance, not by direct look, that Lionel's face had turned a deep
scarlet. Jealous of her! She continued to admire the coral some little
time longer, and then resigned it to him with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Verner. I am fond of these marine curiosities. We had a
good many of them at the rectory. Mr. Cust's brother was a sailor."
Lionel could not remember the time when she had called him "Mr. Verner."
It was right, however, that she should do so; but in his heart he felt
thankful for that sweet smile.


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