And it seemed to him, and to others, that she was determined to keep him there.

He must gather yellow flag and pink willow-herb for her, must hook a water-lily within reach of the bank with her parasol, must explain to her about English farms, and landlords, and why the labourers were discontented--why there were no peasant owners, as in Italy--and so on, and so on.

Round-faced Mrs.Maddison, who had never seen the Hoopers' niece before, watched her with amusement, deciding that, distinguished and refined as the girl was, she was bent on admiration, and not too critical as to whence it came.

The good-natured, curly-haired Meyrick, who was discontentedly reduced to helping Alice and Nora with the tea, and had never been so bored with a river picnic before, consoled himself by storing up rich materials for a "chaff" of Douglas when they next met--perhaps that evening, after hall?
Alice meanwhile laughed and talked with the freshman whom Meyrick had brought with him from Marmion.

Her silence and pallor had gone; she showed a kind of determined vivacity.