'Madame,' he said, rising from his seat, and gravely bowing, 'I will speak of nothing to Mademoiselle Kitty but of the weather and the crops till you return.'

Madame laughed pleasantly.

'You are incorrigible, M. Vandeloup,' she said, as she turned to go.

'However, don't forget what I said, for I trust you.'

When Mrs Villiers had gone, closing the office door after her, Gaston was silent for a few minutes, and then burst out laughing.

'She trusts me,' he said, in a mocking tone. 'In heaven's name, why? I never did pretend to be a saint, and I'm certainly not going to be one because I'm put on my word of honour. Madame,' with an ironical bow in the direction of the closed door, 'since you trust me I will not speak of love to this bread-and-b.u.t.ter miss, unless she proves more than ordinarily pretty, in which case,' shrugging his shoulders, 'I'm afraid I must betray your trust, and follow my own judgment.'

He laughed again, and then, going back to his desk, began to add up his figures. At the second column, however, he paused, and commenced to sketch faces on the blotting paper.

'She's the daughter of a minister,' he said, musingly. 'I can guess, then, what like she is--prim and demure, like a caricature by Cham.

In that case she will be safe from me, for I could never bear an ugly woman. By the way, I wonder if ugly women think themselves pretty; their mirrors must lie most obligingly if they do. There was Adele, she was decidedly plain, not to say ugly, and yet so brilliant in her talk. I was sorry she died; yes, even though she was the cause of my exile to New Caledonia. Bah! it is always a woman one has to thank for one's misfortunes--curse them; though why I should I don't know, for they have always been good friends to me. Ah, well, to return to business, Mademoiselle Kitty is coming, and I must behave like a bear in case she should think my intentions are wrong.'

He went to work on the figures again, when suddenly he heard a high clear voice singing outside. At first he thought it was a bird, but no bird could execute such trills and shakes, so by the time the voice arrived at the office door M. Vandeloup came to the conclusion that the owner of the voice was a woman, and that the woman was Miss Kitty Marchurst.

He leaned back in his chair and wondered idly if she would knock at the door or enter without ceremony. The latter course was the one adopted by Miss Marchurst, for she threw open the door and stood there blushing and pouting at the embarra.s.sing situation in which she now found herself.

'I thought I would find Mrs Villiers here,' she said, in a low, sweet voice, the peculiar timbre of which sent a thrill through Gaston's young blood, as he arose to his feet. Then she looked up, and catching his dark eyes fixed on her with a good deal of admiration in them, she looked down and commenced drawing figures on the dusty floor with the tip of a very dainty shoe.

'Madame has gone down the mine,' said M. Vandeloup, politely, 'but she desired me to say that she would be back soon, and that you were to wait here, and I was to entertain you;' then, with a grave bow, he placed the only chair in the office at the disposal of his visitor, and leaned up against the mantelpiece in an att.i.tude of unstudied grace. Miss Marchurst accepted his offer, and depositing her small person in the big cane chair, she took furtive glances at him, while Gaston, whose experience of women was by no means limited, looked at her coolly, in a manner which would have been rude but for the charming smile which quivered upon his lips.

Kitty Marchurst was a veritable fairy in size, and her hands and feet were exquisitely formed, while her figure had all the plumpness and roundness of a girl of seventeen--which age she was, though she really did not look more than fourteen. An innocent child-like face, two limpid blue eyes, a straight little nose, and a charming rose-lipped mouth were Kitty's princ.i.p.al attractions, and her hair was really wonderful, growing all over her head in crisp golden curls. Child-like enough her face looked in repose, but with the smile came the woman--such a smile, a laughing merry expression such as the Greeks gave to Hebe. Dressed in a rough white dress trimmed with pale blue ribbons, and her golden head surmounted by a sailor hat, with a scarf of the same azure hue tied around it, Kitty looked really charming, and Vandeloup could hardly restrain himself from taking her up in his arms and kissing her, so delightfully fresh and piquant she appeared. Kitty, on her side, had examined Gaston with a woman's quickness of taking in details, and she mentally decided he was the best-looking man she had ever seen, only she wished he would talk. Shyness was not a part of her nature, so after waiting a reasonable time for Vandeloup to commence, she determined to start herself.

'I'm waiting to be entertained,' she said, in a hurried voice, raising her eyes; then afraid of her own temerity, she looked down again.

Gaston smiled a little at Kitty's outspoken remark, but remembering Madame's injunction he rather mischievously determined to carry out her desires to the letter.

'It is a very nice day,' he said, gravely. Kitty looked up and laughed merrily.

'I don't think that's a very original remark,' she said coolly, producing an apple from her pocket. 'If that's all you've got to say, I hope Madame won't be long.'

Vandeloup laughed again at her petulance, and eyed her critically as she took a bit out of the red side of the apple with her white teeth.

'You like apples?' he asked, very much amused by her candour.

'Pretty well,' returned Miss Marchurst, eyeing the fruit in a disparaging manner; 'peaches are nicer; are Madame's peaches ripe?'

looking anxiously at him.

'I think they are,' rejoined Gaston, gravely.

'Then we'll have some for tea,' decided Kitty, taking another bite out of her apple.

'I'm going to stay to tea, you know,' she went on in a conversational tone. 'I always stay to tea when I'm on a visit here, and then Brown--that's our man,' in an explanatory manner, 'comes and fetches me home.'

'Happy Brown!' murmured Vandeloup, who really meant what he said.

Kitty laughed, and blushed.

'I've heard all about you,' she said, coolly, nodding to him.

'Nothing to my disadvantage, I hope,' anxiously.

'Oh dear, no: rather the other way,' returned Miss Marchurst, gaily.

'They said you were good-looking--and so you are, very good-looking.'

Gaston bowed and laughed, rather amused at the way she spoke, for he was used to being flattered by women, though hardly in the outspoken way of this country maiden.

'She's been strictly brought up,' he muttered sarcastically, 'I can see that. Eve before the fall in all her innocence.'

'I don't like your eyes,' said Miss Kitty, suddenly.

'What's the matter with them?' with a quizzical glance.

'They look wicked.'

'Ah, then they belie the soul within,' returned Vandeloup, seriously. 'I a.s.sure you, I'm a very good young man.'

Then I'm sure not to like you,' said Kitty, gravely shaking her golden head. 'Pa's a minister, you know, and nothing but good young men come to our house; they're all so horrid,' viciously, 'I hate 'em.'

Vandeloup laughed so much at this that Kitty rose to her feet and looked offended.

'I don't know what you are laughing at,' she said, throwing her half-eaten apple out of the door; 'but I don't believe you're a good young man. You look awfully bad,' seriously. 'Really, I don't think I ever saw anyone look so bad.'

'Suppose you undertake my reformation?' suggested Vandeloup, eagerly.

'Oh! I couldn't; it wouldn't be right; but,' brightly, 'pa will.'

'I don't think I'll trouble him,' said Gaston, hastily, who by no means relished the idea. 'I'm too far gone to be any good.'

She was about to reply when Madame Midas entered, and Kitty flew to her with a cry of delight.

'Why, Kitty,' said Madame, highly pleased, 'I am so glad to see you, my dear; but keep off, or I'll be spoiling your dress.'

'Yes, so you will,' said Kitty, retreating to a safe distance; 'what a long time you have been.'

'Have I, dear?' said Madame, taking off her underground dress; 'I hope M. Vandeloup has proved a good subst.i.tute.'

'Madame,' answered Vandeloup, gaily, as he a.s.sisted Mrs Villiers to doff her muddy garments, 'we have been talking about the crops and the weather.'

'Oh, indeed,' replied Mrs Villiers, who saw the flush on Kitty's cheek, and by no means approved of it; 'it must have been very entertaining.'

'Very!' a.s.sented Gaston, going back to his desk.

'Come along, Kitty,' said Madame, with a keen glance at her clerk, and taking Kitty's arm within her own, 'let us go to the house, and see if we can find any peaches.'

'I hope we'll find some big ones,' said Kitty, gluttonously, as she danced along by the side of Mrs Villiers.