Her naive remarks and honest straightforward manner had made her a favourite with Dr.Owen, and it gratified him to see an easy acquaintance springing up between her and his nephew.
"It is Will's twenty-fourth birthday to-day, he tells me," he said.
"How odd!" said Gwenda; "it is my twenty-second." "That is strange," said Mrs Trevor; "and you never let me know! But you need not tell everyone your age." "Why not ?" "Oh! well, young ladies don't usually tell their ages; but you are not quite like other girls." Gwenda laughed; and Will thought how charming were the dimple in her chin, the perfect teeth, the sparkling black eyes! Yes, she was very pretty, no doubt! "Is that remark meant to be disparaging or complimentary ?" asked the girl.
"Oh! a little of both," said Mrs.Trevor; "girls are odd nowadays." "Yes; I think the days are gone by when they were all run into the same mould," remarked Dr.Owen.
"And I'm afraid the mould got cracked before I was run into it," replied Gwenda.
"Well, you are not very misshapen," said the Dr.warmly, "and if you do run into little irregularities, they are all in the right direction." "Let us hope so," said the girl.
Will said nothing; but Gwenda, catching the look of ardent admiration, blushed vividly, and looked down at her plate.
"In the meantime," she remarked, "no one has wished me or Mr.Owen many happy returns of the day." "Bless me, no!" said Mr.Trevor; "but I do so now, my dear, with all my heart." "And I--and I," echoed the others.
"Let us drink the health of the two young people," said the host.
"Thank you very much for your kind wishes," said Will.
"Yes, thank you very much," echoed Gwenda.

Will was in danger of losing his head as well as his heart.

To have his name (from which, by the by, he had dropped the plebeian "s") bracketed with Miss Gwenda Vaughan's was a state of things which, though occasioned only by a simple coincidence, elated him beyond measure.

He had indeed, he thought, stepped out of the old order of things and made his way into a higher grade of life by an easy bound.

He was careful, however, to hide his gratified pride entirely from those around him.
After lunch, Mrs.Trevor proposed a stroll through the conservatories, and while the elders stopped to admire a fern or a rare exotic, Will and Gwenda roamed on under the palms and greenery to where a sparkling fountain rose, and flung its feathery spray into the air.
"Will you sit down ?" said Will, pointing to a seat which stood invitingly near.