There was a keen, searching look in his tired, restless eyes.

He was about to make some answer, when he suddenly became aware of Dare and Molly sitting perched on a gate close at hand waiting for them.

Never had he perceived Molly's little brown face with less pleasure than at that moment.

She scrambled down with a noble disregard of appearances, and tried to take his hand.
But it was coolly withdrawn.

Charles fell behind on some pretence of fastening the gate, and Molly had to content herself with Ruth's and Dare's society for the remainder of the walk.
Ruth had almost forgotten, until Molly suggested at luncheon a picnic for the following day, that she was returning to Slumberleigh on Monday morning; and when she made the fact known, Ralph had to be "hushed" several times by Evelyn for muttering opinions behind the sirloin respecting Mrs.Alwynn, which Evelyn seemed to have heard before, and to consider unsuited to the ears of that lady's niece.
"But if you go away, Cousin Ruth, we can't have the picnic.