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Arduino Project Handbook 25 Practical Projects to Get
You Started 1st Edition Mark Geddes Digital Instant
Download
Author(s): Mark Geddes
ISBN(s): 9781593276904, 1593276907
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 18.03 MB
Year: 2016
Language: english
 Ar d u ino

Arduino Project Handbook

Requires: Arduino Uno

You got an Arduino——Now what?

Arduino Project Handbook is a beginner- advice on tools and components. Then

P roject
friendly collection of electronics projects you can work through the book in order or
using the low-cost Arduino board. With just jump to projects that catch your eye.
just a handful of components, an ­Arduino, Each project includes simple instructions,
and a computer, you’ll learn to build and colorful photos and ­circuit diagrams, and

Handbook
program everything from light shows to all necessary code.
arcade games to an ultrasonic security Arduino Project Handbook is a fast
system. and fun way to get started with micro­
First you’ll get set up with an intro­ controllers that’s perfect for beginners,
duction to the Arduino and valuable hobbyists, parents, and educators. 25 Practical Projects to Get You Started

25 Step-by-Step Projects
• Pushbutton-Controlled LED • Fortune Teller
• Light Dimmer • Reaction Timer Game
• Bar Graph • Electronic Die
• Disco Strobe Light • Rocket Launcher
• Plant Monitor • Intruder Sensor
• Ghost Detector • Laser Trip Wire Alarm
• Arduino Melody • Sentry Gun
• Memory Game • Motion Sensor Alarm
• Secret Knock Lock • Keypad Entry System
• Joystick-Controlled Laser • Wireless ID Card Entry System
• Remote Control Servo • Rainbow Light Show
• LCD Screen Writer • Build Your Own Arduino
• Weather Station

Mark
S h e lv e i n : H ar d war e/ E lec tr o n i c s $24. 95 ($28. 95 CDN) Geddes
T H E F I N E ST I N G E E K E N T E RTA I N M E N T ™
w w w.nostarch.com

Mark Geddes
 Ardu ino
Proj ect
Han dbook
 Arduino
Project
Handbook
25 Practical Projects
to Get Yo u Started

by mark geddes

San Francisco
Arduino Project Handbook. Copyright © 2016 by Mark Geddes.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.

Printed in USA

First printing

20 19 18 17 16   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

ISBN-10: 1-59327-690-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-690-4

Publisher: William Pollock

Production Editor: Serena Yang
Cover and Interior Design: Beth Middleworth
Developmental Editor: Liz Chadwick
Technical Reviewer: Christopher Stanton
Copyeditor: Rachel Monaghan
Compositor: Serena Yang
Proofreader: James Fraleigh

Circuit diagrams made using Fritzing (http://fritzing.org/).

For information on distribution, translations, or bulk sales, please contact No Starch Press, Inc. directly:

No Starch Press, Inc.

245 8th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
phone: 415.863.9900; [email protected]
www.nostarch.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Names: Geddes, Mark.
Title: Arduino project handbook : 25 practical projects to get you started /
by Mark Geddes.
Description: San Francisco : No Starch Press, [2016] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015033781| ISBN 9781593276904 | ISBN 1593276907
Subjects: LCSH: Programmable controllers. | Microcontrollers--Programming. |
Science projects--Design and construction. | Arduino (Programmable
controller)
Classification: LCC TJ223.P76 G433 2016 | DDC 629.8/9551--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015033781

No Starch Press and the No Starch Press logo are registered trademarks of No Starch Press, Inc. Other
product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Rather
than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we are using the names only
in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the
trademark.

The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution
has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor No Starch Press, Inc. shall have any
liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly
or indirectly by the information contained in it.
 Cam e ro n and Jemma,
yo u ar e t he c reators an d
m ake rs o f the future.
Thi s bo o k i s for you!
 Contents

Acknowledg ments............................................................................... xix

Introduction........................................................................................ xx
Project 0: ­G etting Started . . ............................................................... 2

Part 1 : LED s
Project 1: Pushbutton-Controlled LED ........................................ 22
Project 2: Light Dimmer..................................................................... 28
Project 3: Bar Graph.......................................................................... 34
Project 4: Disco Strobe Light........................................................ 39
Project 5: Plant Monitor................................................................. 45
Project 6: Ghost Detector.............................................................. 53

Part 2 : So und
Project 7: Arduino Melody............................................................... 64
Project 8: Memory Game . . .................................................................. 69
Project 9: ­Secret Knock Lock......................................................... 78

Part 3: S e rvos
Project 10: Joystick-­Controlled Laser ........................................ 86
Project 11: ­Remote Control Servo................................................ 93

Part 4 : LCD s
Project 12: LCD Screen ­W riter........................................................ 102
Project 13: Weather Station............................................................ 110
Project 14: ­F ortune Teller . . ............................................................ 117
Project 15: ­R eaction ­T imer Game................................................... 124

Part 5 : N ume r ic co un te rs
Project 16: Electronic Die . . ............................................................. 134
Project 17: ­Rocket Launcher . . ......................................................... 143

vi • Contents
Part 6 : S ecur i ty
Project 18: Intruder Sensor.......................................................... 156
Project 19: Laser Trip Wire Alarm . . ................................................ 163
Project 20: ­Sentry Gun ..................................................................... 170
Project 21: ­Motion Sensor Alarm.................................................. 178
Project 22: ­Keypad Entry System.................................................. 185
Project 23: ­W ireless ID Card Entry System ................................ 194

Part 7 : Adva n ce d
Project 24: ­R ainbow Light Show................................................... 208
Project 25: Build Your Own Arduino!.......................................... 220

Appendix A: ­Components.................................................................. 229

Appendix B: A
­ rduino Pin ­Reference ............................................. 243

vi i • Contents
 C o n t e n ts i n D e ta i l
Ac k n ow l e dgm e n ts.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................................... xix

I n t rod uc ti o n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................ xx
The Arduino Revolution................................................................... xxi
About This Book ................................................................................ xxii
Organization of This Book.......................................................... xxiii

P roj ec t 0: ­G e tti ng Sta rte d . . ............................................ 2

Hardware.................................................................................................. 3
The Arduino Uno . . ................................................................. 3
Power ........................................................................................ 3
Breadboards . . .......................................................................... 4
Jumper Wires........................................................................... 5
Programming the Arduino.. ................................................................. 6
The IDE Interface . . ................................................................. 6
Arduino Sketches.................................................................. 7
Libraries................................................................................... 7
Testing Your Arduino: Blinking an LED ............................................ 9
Understanding the Sketch ................................................. 10
Project Component List.................................................................... 11
Setting Up Your Workspace............................................................... 13
Equipment and Tool Guide................................................................. 15
Quick Soldering Guide......................................................................... 18
Safety First........................................................................... 20

Part 1 : LED s
Proj ec t 1 : Push butto n-Co ntroll ed LED . . ................... 22
How It Works........................................................................................ 24
The Build................................................................................................. 25
The Sketch............................................................................................. 27

Proj ec t 2 : Li gh t Di m m e r .. . . . . ........................................... 28
How It Works........................................................................................ 30
The Build.................................................................................................. 31
The Sketch............................................................................................. 33

v i i i • C o n t e n t s i n D e ta i l
P roj ec t 3: Ba r Gr a ph .. . . . . . . . . ............................................. 34
How It Works........................................................................................ 36
The Build................................................................................................. 37
The Sketch............................................................................................. 38

P roj ec t 4 : Di sco Stro be Light.................................... 39

How It Works......................................................................................... 41
The Build.................................................................................................. 41
The Sketch............................................................................................. 43

P roj ec t 5 : Pla nt Mo ni to r .. ............................................4 5

How It Works........................................................................................ 47
The Build................................................................................................. 48
The Sketch.............................................................................................. 51

P roj ec t 6 : Gh ost De tecto r........................................... 53

How It Works........................................................................................ 55
The Build................................................................................................. 55
The Sketch............................................................................................. 59

Pa rt 2: Soun d
P roj ec t 7 : A r d ui no Me lo dy........................................... 64
How It Works........................................................................................ 66
The Build................................................................................................. 67
The Sketch............................................................................................. 67

P roj ec t 8 : Me mo ry G a m e . . . . . ........................................... 69
How It Works......................................................................................... 71
The Build.................................................................................................. 71
The Sketch............................................................................................. 73

P roj ec t 9 : ­S ecr e t Kn ock Lock ..................................... 78

How It Works........................................................................................ 80
The Build.................................................................................................. 81
The Sketch............................................................................................. 82

i x • C o n t e n t s i n D e ta i l
Pa rt 3 : Servos
P roj ec t 1 0 : Joystick-­Co ntrol l ed Laser . . .................. 86
How It Works........................................................................................ 88
The Build................................................................................................. 89
Mounting the Laser ............................................................................. 90
The Sketch............................................................................................. 92

P roj ec t 1 1 : ­Re mote Co n trol Servo............................ 93

How It Works........................................................................................ 95
The Setup ................................................................................................ 96
The Build................................................................................................. 97
The Sketch............................................................................................. 99

Pa rt 4 : LCDs
P roj ec t 1 2 : LCD Scr e e n W
­ r iter.................................... 102
How It Works....................................................................................... 104
Preparing the LCD Screen................................................................ 104
the Build................................................................................................ 105
The Sketch............................................................................................ 107

P roj ec t 1 3 : W e ath e r Stati o n......................................... 110

How It Works....................................................................................... 112
The Build................................................................................................ 112
The Sketch............................................................................................ 116

P roj ec t 1 4: ­F o rtune Te lle r . . ......................................... 117

How It Works....................................................................................... 119
The Build................................................................................................ 119
The Sketch............................................................................................ 122

P roj ec t 1 5: ­R e acti o n T
­ i m e r Game............................... 124
How It Works....................................................................................... 126
The Build................................................................................................ 127
The Sketch............................................................................................ 130

x • C o n t e n t s i n D e ta i l
Pa rt 5: Numeric coun t ers
P roj ec t 1 6 : Electro nic Di e . . ......................................... 134
How It Works....................................................................................... 136
The Build................................................................................................ 137
The Sketch............................................................................................ 140

P roj ec t 1 7 : ­Rocke t Laun ch er . . ..................................... 14 3

How It Works....................................................................................... 145
The BUild................................................................................................ 145
Create a Working Fuse....................................................................... 149
The Sketch............................................................................................ 151

Pa rt 6 : Secur ity
P roj ec t 1 8 : In tr ud e r Se nsor...................................... 156
How It Works....................................................................................... 158
The Build................................................................................................ 158
The Sketch............................................................................................ 161

P roj ec t 1 9 : Lase r Tr i p W i r e Alarm . . ............................ 163

How It Works....................................................................................... 165
The Build................................................................................................ 165
The Sketch............................................................................................ 168

P roj ec t 2 0 : ­S e ntry Gun . . . . . . ........................................... 170

How It Works....................................................................................... 172
The Build................................................................................................ 173
The Sketch............................................................................................ 176

P roj ec t 2 1: ­Moti o n Se nso r Al arm.. ............................ 178

How It Works....................................................................................... 180
The Build................................................................................................ 181
The Sketch............................................................................................ 183

P roj ec t 2 2 : ­K e y pa d En try System.............................. 185

How It Works....................................................................................... 187
Testing The Keypad............................................................................. 187
The Build................................................................................................189
The Sketch............................................................................................ 192

x i • C o n t e n t s i n D e ta i l
P roj ec t 2 3 : ­W i r e less ID Ca rd Entry System . . .......... 194
How It Works....................................................................................... 196
The Build................................................................................................198
The Sketch........................................................................................... 203

Pa rt 7: Advan ced
P roj ec t 2 4: ­R a i nbow Li gh t Show............................... 208
How It Works....................................................................................... 210
The Build................................................................................................ 212
The Sketch............................................................................................ 215

P roj ec t 2 5: Bui ld Yo ur Ow n Ardu ino!.......................220

How It Works...................................................................................... 222
Preparing the Chip............................................................................ 223
Building the Arduino Circuit.......................................................... 224

A p p e n d i x A : ­Com po n e n ts.. . . . ......................................... 229

Components Guide............................................................................. 230
Arduino Uno R3 . . ................................................................. 230
9v Battery Pack.................................................................. 230
Breadboard .......................................................................... 230
LED........................................................................................... 231
Resistor................................................................................ 231
Pushbutton ........................................................................... 231
Potentiometer................................................................... 232
HL-69 Soil Sensor . . ............................................................ 232
Piezo Buzzer........................................................................ 232
S ervomotor........................................................................ 233
Joystick ................................................................................ 233
Infrared LED Receiver ..................................................... 233
LCD Screen........................................................................... 234
DHT11 Humidity Sensor..................................................... 234
Tilt Ball Switch.................................................................. 234
RGB LED.................................................................................. 235
Seven-Segment LED Display............................................. 235
Four-Digit, Seven-Segment Serial Display................. 235
Ultrasonic Sensor............................................................ 236
Photoresistor................................................................... 236
RC V959 Missile Launcher................................................. 236
PIR Sensor........................................................................... 237

x i i • C o n t e n t s i n D e ta i l
 Keypad................................................................................... 237
RFID Reader.......................................................................... 237
RGB Matrix............................................................................ 238
Shift Register.................................................................... 238
ATmega328p Chip . . ................................................................ 238
16 MHz Crystal Oscillator.............................................. 239
5V Regulator....................................................................... 239
Capacitor............................................................................. 239
Disc Capacitor.................................................................... 240
Battery Clip......................................................................... 240
Retailer List......................................................................................... 240
Decoding Resistor Values................................................................ 241

A p p e n d i x B: A
­ r d ui no Pi n ­Re ference .......................... 24 3

x i i i • C o n t e n t s i n D e ta i l
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and his carelessness that they were reduced to this terrible
extremity? So Charles Raynor, helped on by the ever-ready counsel
of Edina, endured his troubles, put up with his humiliation, and bore
onwards with the best resolution he could call up. Who knew, who
could ever know, how much of this wonderful change was really due
to Edina?

And, as the time went on, he grew to feel the troubles somewhat
less keenly: habit reconciles us in a degree to the worst of things, no
matter what that worst may be. But he had learnt a lesson that
would last him his whole life. Never again could he become the
arrogant young fellow who thought the world was made for his
especial delectation. He had gained experience; he had found his
level; he saw what existence was worth, and that those who would
be happy in it must first learn and perform their duties in it. His very
nature had changed. Self-sufficiency, selfish indifference, had given
place to modesty, to a subdued thoughtfulness of habit, to an
earnest sense of other's needs as well as his own. Frank Raynor,
with all his sunny-heartedness and geniality, could not be more
ready with a helping hand, than was Charles. He could give nothing
in money, but he could in kind. No other discipline, perhaps, would
have had this effect upon Charles Raynor. It had made a man of
him, and, if a subdued, a good one. And so, he went on, reconciled
in a degree to the changed life after his two years' spell at it, and
looking forward to no better prospect in the future. Prospect of every
sort seemed so hopeless.

A little fresh care had come upon them this autumn, in the return of
Alice. Changes had taken place in the school at Richmond, and her
services were no longer required. Edina borrowed the advertisement
sheet of the Times every morning, and caused Alice to write to any
notice that appeared likely to suit her. As yet—a fortnight had gone
on—nothing had come of it.

"No one seems to want a governess," remarked Alice one Monday

morning, as they rose from breakfast, and Charles was brushing his
hat to depart. "I suppose there are too many of us."

"By one half," assented Edina. "The field is too crowded. Some lady
in this neighbourhood recently advertised for a governess for her
daughters, directing the answers to be addressed to Jones's library,
where we get these papers. Mr. Jones told me that the first day's
post brought more than a hundred letters."

"Oh dear!" exclaimed Alice.

"The lady engaged one of the applicants," continued Edina, "and

then discovered that she was the daughter of a small shopkeeper at
Camberwell. That put her out of conceit of governesses, and she has
sent her children to school."

"I should not like to be hard, I'm sure, or to speak against any class
of people," interposed Mrs. Raynor, in her meek, deprecating voice;
"but I do think that some of the young women who came forward as
governesses would do much better as servants. These inferior
persons are helping to jostle the gentlewomen out of the governess
field—as Edina calls it."

"Will they jostle me out of it?" cried Alice, looking up in alarm. "Oh,
Charley, I wish you could hear of something for me!—you go out
into the world, you know."

Charles, saying good-bye and kissing his mother, went off with a
smile at the words: he was thinking how very unlikely it was that he
should hear of anything. Governesses did not come within the radius
of Prestleigh and Preen's. Nevertheless, it was singular that Charles
did hear of a vacant situation that self-same day, and heard it in the
office.

In the course of the afternoon the head-clerk had despatched

Charles to Mr. Preen's room with a message. He was about to deliver
it when Mr. Preen waved his hand to him to wait: a friend who had
been sitting with him had risen to leave.
"When shall we see Mrs. Preen to spend her promised day with us?"
asked the gentleman, as he was shaking hands. "My wife has been
expecting her all the week."

"I don't know," was the reply. "The little girls' governess has left;
and, as they don't much like going back to the nursery to the
younger children, Mrs. Preen has them with her."

"The governess left, has she?" was the answering remark. "I fancied
you thought great things of her."

"So we did. She suited extremely well. But she was summoned
home last week in consequence of her mother's serious illness, and
now sends us word that she will not be able to leave home again."

"Well, you will easily find a successor, Preen."

"Two or three ladies have already applied, but Mrs. Preen did not
care for them. She will have to advertise, I suppose."

Charles drank in the words. He delivered the message, and took Mr.
Stroud the answer, his head full of Alice. If she could only obtain the
situation! Mrs. Preen seemed a nice woman, and the two little girls
were nice: he had seen them occasionally at the office. Alice would
be sure to be happy there.

Sitting down to his desk, he went on with his writing, making one or
two mistakes, and drawing down upon him the wrath of Mr. Stroud.
But his mind was far away, deliberating whether he might, or could,
do anything.

Speak to Mr. Preen? He hardly liked to do it: the copying-clerks kept

at a respectful distance. And yet, why should he not speak? It
seemed to be his only chance. Then came a thought that made
Charley's face burn like fire: would his sister be deemed worthy of
the post? Well, he could only make the trial.
Just before the time of leaving for the night, Charles went to Mr.
Preen's room, knocked at the door, and was told to enter. Mr. Preen
was standing in front of his desk, in the act of locking it, and a
gentleman sat close before the almost-extinguished fire in the large
easy-chair which had been old Mr. Callard's. Charles could see
nothing but the back of his head, for the high, well-stuffed chair hid
all the rest of him. He had a newspaper in his hand, and was reading
it by the light of a solitary gas-burner; the other having been put
out. To see this stranger here took Charles aback.

"What is it?" questioned Mr. Preen.

Charles hesitated. "I had thought you were alone, sir."

"All the same. Say what you want."

"I have taken the liberty of coming to speak to you on a private

matter, sir; but——" There he stopped.

"What is it?" repeated Mr. Preen.

"When I was in this room to-day, sir, I heard you say that your little
girls were in want of a governess."

"Well?"

"What I am about to say may seem nothing but presumption—but

my sister is seeking just such a situation. If you—if Mrs. Preen—
would only see her!"

"Your sister?" returned the lawyer; with, Charles thought, chilling

surprise. It damped him: made him feel sensitively small.

"Oh, pray do not judge of my sister by me, sir!—I mean by the

position I occupy here," cried Charles, all his prearranged speeches
forgotten, and speaking straight from his wounded feelings, his full
heart. "You only know me as a young man working for his daily
bread, and very poor. But indeed we are gentlepeople: not only by
birth and education, but in mind and habits. I was copying a deed
to-day: the lease of a farm on the estate of Eagles' Nest. Do you
know it, sir?"

"Know what?" asked Mr. Preen. "That you were copying the deed, or
the estate?"

"Eagles' Nest."

"I know it only from being solicitor to its owner. As my predecessor,

Mr. Callard, was before me."

"That estate was ours, sir. When Mr. George Atkinson came into
possession of it he turned us out. It had come to my father from his
sister, Mrs. Atkinson, and we lived in it for a year, never dreaming it
possible that it could be wrested from us. But at the year's-end a
later will came to light: my aunt had left Eagles' Nest to Mr. George
Atkinson, passing my father over."

Charles stopped to gather breath and firmness. The remembrance of

his father, and of their subsequent misfortunes and privations,
almost unnerved him. Mr. Preen listened in evident surprise.

"But—was your father Major Raynor, of Eagles' Nest?"

"Yes, sir."

"You never mentioned it."

"To what end?" returned Charles; while the stranger took a

momentary glance over his shoulder at him, and then bent over his
newspaper again, as though the matter and the young clerk were no
concern of his. "Now that my position in life has so much altered, I
would rather let people think I was born a copying-clerk, than that I
was heir to Eagles' Nest."
"It sounds like a romance," cried Mr. Preen.

"For us it has been, and is, only too stern reality. But I do not wish
to trouble you with these affairs, sir; and I should not have
presumed to allude to them, but for wishing to prove to you that
Alice is superior to what you might imagine her to be as my sister.
She is a very excellent governess indeed, accomplished, and a
thorough lady."

"And you say she is in want of a situation?"

"Yes, sir. She has been for two years teacher in a school at
Richmond. If Mrs. Preen would but consent to give her a trial, I
know she would prove worthy. I do not say so merely to get her the
post," he continued, earnestly, "but because I really believe she
could and would faithfully fulfil its duties. I would not otherwise urge
it: for we have learnt not to press ourselves forward at the expense
of other people's interests, whatever the need."

"Well, Raynor: I cannot say anything myself about this matter; it is

Mrs. Preen's business and not mine," spoke the lawyer, upon whom
Charles's story and Charles's manner had made an impression. "If
your sister likes to call and see Mrs. Preen she can do so."

"Oh, thank you; thank you very much, sir," said Charles. "I am sure
you will like Alice."

"Stay; not so fast"—for Charley was leaving the room in eager haste.
"Do you know where my house is?"

"To be sure I do, sir—in Bayswater. I have been up there with

messages for you."

"So that's young Raynor!" cried the gentleman at the fire, turning as
Charles went out, and taking a look at him.
"It is young Raynor, one of our copying-clerks," acquiesced Mr.
Preen. "But I never knew he was one of the Raynors who were
connected with Eagles' Nest."

"Is he steady?—hardworking?"

"Quite so, I think. He keeps his hours punctually, and does his work
well. He has been here nearly two years."

"Is not upstart and lazy?"

Mr. Preen laughed. "He has no opportunity of being either. I fancy he

and his family have to live in a very humble, reduced sort of way. If
they were the Raynors of Eagles' Nest—and of course they were, or
he would not say so—they must have been finding the world pretty
hard of late."

"So much the better," remarked the stranger. "By what I have heard,
they needed to find it so."

"He has to make no end of shifts, for want of means. At first the
clerks made fun of him; but they left it off: he took it so helplessly
and patiently. His clothes are often threadbare; he walks to and fro,
instead of riding as the others do, though I fancy it is close upon
three miles. I don't believe he has a proper dinner one day out of
the six."

The stranger nodded complacently: as if the information gave him

intense satisfaction.

"I wish I could persuade you to come home and dine with me,"
resumed Mr. Preen, as he concluded his preparations for departure.

"I am not well enough to do so. I am fit for nothing to-night but
bed. Will one of your people call a cab for me? Oh, here's
Prestleigh."
As Charles had gone out, dashing along the passage from his
interview, he nearly dashed against Mr. Prestleigh, who was coming
up, some papers in hand.

"Take care, Raynor! What are you in such a hurry about? Is Mr.
George Atkinson gone?"

"Who, sir?" asked Charles, struck with the name.

"Mr. George Atkinson. Is he still with Mr. Preen?"

"Some gentleman is with him, sir. He is sitting over the fire.

"The same, no doubt. He is a great invalid just now."

Charles felt his face flush all over. So, it was the owner of Eagles'
Nest before whom he had spoken. What a singular coincidence! The
only time that a word had escaped his lips in regard to their fallen
fortunes, he must be present and hear it! And Charley felt inclined to
wish he had lost his tongue first. All the world might have been
welcome to hear it, rather than George Atkinson.

The way home was generally long and weary, but this evening
Charles found it light enough: he seemed to tread upon air. His
thoughts were filled with Alice, and with the hope he was carrying to
her. Never for a moment did he doubt she would be successful. He
already saw her in imagination installed at Mrs. Preen's.

Edina went to Bayswater with Alice in the morning. A handsome

house, well appointed. Mrs. Preen, interested in what she had heard
from her husband, received them graciously. She liked them at first
sight. Though very plain in dress, she saw that they were
gentlewomen.

"It cannot be that I am speaking to Mrs. Raynor?" she cried, puzzled

at Edina's youthful look.
Edina set her right: she was Miss Raynor. "The result of possessing
no cards," thought Edina. "I never had more than fifty printed in my
life, and most of those got discoloured with years. Mrs. Raynor is not
strong enough to walk as far as this," she said aloud.

"But surely you did not walk?" cried Mrs. Preen.

"Yes, for walking costs nothing," replied Edina with a smile.

"The Raynors, if I have been rightly informed, have experienced a

reverse of fortune."

"A reverse that is rarely experienced," avowed Edina. "From wealth

and luxury they have been plunged into trouble and poverty. If you,
madam, are what, from this short interview, I judge you to be, the
avowal will not tell against our application."

"Not in the least," said Mrs. Preen, cordially, for she was a warm-
hearted, sensible woman. "We do not expect young ladies who are
rich to go out as governesses."

The result was that Alice was engaged, and they were asked to stay
luncheon. Alice played, and her playing was approved of; she sang
one short song, and that was approved of also. Mrs. Preen was
really taken with hor. She was to have thirty guineas a-year to begin
with, and to enter the day after the morrow.

"I can buy mamma a new black silk, by-and-by, with all that money,"
said Alice, impulsively, with a flushed, happy face. And though Mrs.
Preen laughed at the remark, she liked her all the better for it: it was
so naïve and genuine.

"Oh my dear child, I am sure God is helping you!" breathed Mrs.

Raynor, when they got back home and told her the news.

On the afternoon appointed, Thursday, Alice went to take up her

abode at Mrs. Preen's, accompanied, as before, by Edina. Poverty
makes us acquainted with habits before unknown, and necessity, it is
said, is a hard taskmaster; nevertheless, it was deemed well that
Alice should not walk alone in the streets of London. Edina left her in
safety, and saw for a moment her pupils—two nice little girls of eight
and ten years old.

Alice was taking off her bonnet in the chamber assigned her when
Mrs. Preen entered it.

"We shall have a few friends with us this evening, Miss Raynor," she
said. "It may give you a little pleasure to come to the drawing-room
and join them."

"Oh, thank you," said Alice, her face beaming at the unexpected,
and, with her, very rare treat. "If I can—if my boxes arrive. They
were sent off this morning by the carrier."

The boxes arrived. Poor Alice might have looked almost as well had
they been delayed, for her one best dress was an old black silk.
Prettily made for evening wear, it is true; but its white lace and
ribbon trimmings could not conceal the fact that the silk itself was
worn and shabby.

The few friends consisted of at least thirty people, most of them in

gay evening dress. Mrs. Preen introduced her to a young lady, a Miss
Knox, who was chatty and pleasant, and told her many of the names
of those present. But after a while Miss Knox went away into the
next room, leaving Alice alone.

She felt something like a fish out of water. Other people moved
about here and there talking with this acquaintance and laughing
with that; but Alice, conscious of being only the governess, did not
like to do so. She was standing near one of the open windows,
within shade of the curtains that were being swayed about by the
draught, turning her gaze sometimes upon the rooms, sometimes to
the road below.
Suddenly, her whole conscious being seemed struck as by a blow.
Her pulses stopped, her heart felt faint, every vestige of colour
forsook her cheeks. Walking slowly across the room, within a yard of
her, came William Stane.

Not until he was close up did he see her standing there. A moment's
hesitation, during which he seemed to be as surprised as she, and
then he held out his hand.

"It is Miss Raynor, I think?"

"Yes," replied Alice, her hand meeting his, and the hot crimson
flushing her cheek again. How well he was looking! Better, far better
looking than he used to be. And he was of more importance in the
world, for he had risen into note as a pleader, young at the Bar
though he was, and his name was often on the lips of men. His
presence brought back to Alice the old Elysian days at Eagles' Nest,
and her heart ached.

"Are Sir Philip and Lady Stane quite well?" she asked, in sheer need
of saying something; for the silence was embarrassing.

"My mother is well; my father is very poorly indeed. He is a

confirmed invalid now."

His tone was frigid. Alice felt it painfully. She stood there before him
in the blaze of light, all too conscious of her shabby dress, her
subdued manner, all her other disadvantages. Not far off sat a young
lady in rich white silk and lace, diamond bracelets gleaming on her
arms. Times had indeed changed!

"Are any of your family here to-night, Miss Raynor? I do not see
them."

"No; oh no;—I am only the governess here," replied poor Alice,

making the confession in bitter pain. And he might hear it in her
voice.
"Oh—the governess," he assented, quite unmoved. "I hope Mrs.
Raynor is well."

"Not very well, thank you."

Mr. Stane moved away. She saw him several times after that in
different parts of the room; but he did not come near her again.

And that, the first night that Alice spent at her new home, was
passed in the same cruel pain, her pillow wet with tears. Pain, not so
much for the life of ease she had once enjoyed, the one of labour
she had entered upon, not so much in regret for the changed
position she held in the world, as for the loss of the love of William
Stane.

CHAPTER V.

THE MISSING DESK

But there is something yet to relate of the afternoon. It was about

five o'clock when Edina reached home. Very much to her
astonishment she saw a gentleman seated by Mrs. Raynor. The tea-
things were on the table. Bobby sat on the floor. Kate stood, her
back to the window, gazing with some awe at the visitor—so unusual
an event in the retired household. He was a scanty-haired little
gentleman, with cold, light eyes, and a trim, neat dress. Edina knew
him at once, and held out her hand. It was Street, the banker.
It was evident that he had come in only a minute before her, for he
had not yet entered upon his business. He began upon it now. Edina
silently took off her things as she listened, put them on the side-
table, and made the tea. There he sat, talking methodically, and
appearing to notice nothing, but in reality seeing everything: the
shabby room, the scanty attire of the young children, the faded
appearance of Mrs. Raynor, as she sat putting fresh cuffs on a jacket
of Alfred's. Edina began to pour out the tea, and brought him a cup,
handing him the sugar and milk.

"Is it cream?" asked Mr. Street. "I can't take cream."

"It is skim-milk," said Edina. "But it is good: not at all watered. We

buy it at a small farmhouse."

He had come to ask Mrs. Raynor whether she remembered a small

ebony desk that had been at Eagles' Nest. It had belonged to the
late Mrs. Atkinson, he observed: "she kept papers in it: receipts and
things of that sort."

"I remember it quite well," replied Mrs. Raynor. "My husband took it
into use, and kept papers of his own in it. He used to put all the bills
there."

"Do you know what became of the desk, madam?"

"It was left in the house," said Mrs. Raynor.

"Ay: we supposed it would be," nodded the banker. "But, madam, it

cannot be found. I was at Eagles' Nest myself all day yesterday,
searching for it. Mr. Fairfax says he does not remember to have seen
it."

The name struck unfamiliarly on Mrs. Raynor's ear. "Mr. Fairfax? Who
is he?"
"The land-steward, who lives in the house. He thinks that had the
desk been there when he entered into possession, he should have
noticed it."

"Is the desk particularly wanted?" interposed Edina, struck with the
fact that so busy a man as Mr. Street should have been down in
search of it.

"We should be glad to find it," was the answer, as he turned again to
Mrs. Raynor. "Lamb, the butler, who remained in the house for some
two or three weeks after you left it, says he does not remember to
have seen it there after your departure. So I procured your address
from my brother, madam, and have come to ask you about it."

Mrs. Raynor, who had put aside her work soon after Mr. Street
entered, sat with her cup and saucer in her hand, looking a little
bewildered. He proceeded to explain further.

On the evening of Mr. George Atkinson's arrival in London—which

had only taken place on Monday, the day Charles Raynor saw him in
Mr. Preen's office—he and the banker were conversing together on
various matters, as would naturally be the case after his long
absence. Amongst other subjects touched upon was that of the lost
money and the vouchers: neither of which had ever been
discovered. Whilst they were recalling, in a desultory sort of way,
every probable and improbable place in which these vouchers, if
they existed, could have been placed, Mr. Atkinson suddenly asked
whether the ebony desk had been well examined. Of course it had,
and all the other desks, was Mr. Street's answer. "But," said George
Atkinson, "that ebony desk had a false bottom to it, in which things
might be concealed. I wonder I never thought of that before. It may
be that the Raynors never found that out; and I should not be much
surprised if Mrs. Atkinson put the bonds in it, and if they are in it to
this day."
Of course the suggestion was worth following up. Especially worthy
of it did it appear to Street, the banker, who had a keen scent for
money, whether his own or other people's. He went down himself to
Eagles' Nest to search the desk: but of the desk he could find no
traces. The land-agent who had since occupied the house did not
remember to have seen anything of the kind. He next inquired for
Lamb, the former butler, and heard that he was now living with Sir
Philip Stane. To Sir Philip Stane's proceeded Mr. Street, and saw
Lamb. Lamb said he knew the desk quite well; but he could not
recollect seeing it after the family had left, and he had no idea what
became of it. Mr. Street, feeling baffled, had returned to town
without learning anything of the desk. He had now come down to
question Mrs. Raynor.

"I wish, madam, I could hear that you had brought it away with
you," he observed, the explanation over. It had been rather a long
one for curt-speaking Mr. Street.

"We should not be likely to bring it away," said poor Mrs. Raynor, in
her mild, meek voice. "We were told that we must not remove
anything that had been Mrs. Atkinson's."

"True. Those instructions were issued by Mr. George Atkinson,

through me, madam."

"And I can assure you, sir, that we did not remove anything," she
replied, a little flurried. "All that we brought away belonged strictly
to ourselves. But I fancy Mr. George Atkinson must be mistaken in
supposing the bonds were in that desk. Had they been there my
husband could not have failed to see them."

"Did he know of the false bottom?"

"I am not aware that he did. But still—he so often used the desk. It
frequently stood in the little room, upon the low cabinet, or
secretaire. I have seen him turn it upside down, when searching for
some particular bill he had mislaid."
"That does not prove the bonds were not in the secret
compartment," remarked the banker.

"Did you know of this secret compartment?" inquired Edina.

"I did not, Miss Raynor. Or you may be sure it would have been
searched when we were first looking for the bonds. This desk
George Atkinson himself brought from Ceylon the first time he went
there, and gave it to Mrs. Atkinson. It was not, I believe, really of
ebony, but of black wood peculiar to the country; handsomely
carved, as you no doubt remember, if you made acquaintance with
the desk at Eagles' Nest. Mr. George Atkinson cannot imagine how
he could have forgotten the desk until now; but it had as completely
slipped his memory, he says, as though it had never existed."

"I'm sure I wish it could be found!" spoke Mrs. Raynor. "It may be
that the bonds are in it. That my husband never discovered the
compartment you speak of, I feel assured. If he had, we should all
have known it."

"And—just one more question, madam," said the banker, rising to

depart. "Do you chance to remember in what room that desk was
left when you quitted Eagles' Nest?"

Mrs. Raynor paused in thought; and then shook her head hopelessly.
"No, I do not," she answered. "I know the desk must have been left
there because we did not bring it away, but I have no especial
recollection about it at all. Dear me! What a strange thing if the
bonds were lying concealed in it all that time!"

"That they are lying in it I think more than likely—provided there are
any to lie anywhere," observed the banker, "for it is most singular
that none have come to light. It is also to be regretted that Mr.
Atkinson did not think of the desk before this. Good-evening,
madam."
"We heard that Mr. Atkinson was in London," remarked Edina, as she
accompanied Mr. Street to the front-door.

"For a few days only."

"For a few days only! When does he intend to enter into possession
of Eagles' Nest?"

"I cannot tell: he is an invalid just now," was the hurried answer, as
if the banker did not care to be questioned. "Good-day, Miss
Raynor." And away he went with a quick step.

Edina began to wash up the tea-things, that she might get to some
ironing. Her mind was busy, and somewhat troubled. Reminiscences
of George Atkinson, thoughts of the missing desk and of the lost
bonds that were perhaps in it, kept rapidly chasing each other in her
brain—and there seemed to be no comfort in any one of them.

"Had the desk been brought away from Eagles' Nest, I must have
seen it," she remarked at length, but in doubtful tones, as if not
feeling altogether sure of her assertion.

"But surely, Edina, you don't think we should bring it!" cried Mrs.
Raynor, looking up from her work, which she had resumed.

"Not intentionally, of course, Mary. The only chance of it would be if

Charles, or any one else, inadvertently packed it up."

"I am sure he did not," said Mrs. Raynor. "Had it been brought away
by accident we should certainly have seen it, and sent it back to
Eagles' Nest."

"I remember that desk quite well," spoke up Kate, looking off the
spelling-lesson she was learning. "I remember seeing Frank empty
all the papers out of it one morning.

"Frank did?" cried Edina.

"Why, yes: it was Frank who examined the desk," said Mrs. Raynor.
"I now recollect as much as that. It was the day after the funeral.
You were upstairs, Edina, helping to pack Daisy's things for London.
I was crying about the money we owed, not knowing whether it was
much or little, and Frank said we had better examine the bills. I told
him the bills were most likely all in the little ebony desk—and he
went to get them.

"I saw him do it," reiterated Kate. "I was in the little room with
Mademoiselle Delrue. He came and unlocked the desk, shook all the
papers out of it, and took them away with him."

"And what did he do with the desk?" asked Edina. "Did he leave it
there?"

"I don't know. I think he took that away too."

"I wonder whether Frank would remember anything of it?" mused

Edina. "Perhaps he put up the desk somewhere for safety, after
taking the papers out of it: in some cupboard or closet?"

"Perhaps he did," added Mrs. Raynor. "It is so strange a thing that it

cannot be found."

"I may as well walk over to Frank's, and hear what his recollections
are upon the subject," said Edina after a pause.

"But you must be so tired, Edina, after that walk to Bayswater."

"Not very. I meant to iron the boy's collars and Charley's wristbands
this evening, but I can do that to-morrow."

Mrs. Raynor made no further objection; and Edina set out. The visit
of the banker seemed to have saddened rather than cheered her—as
so unusual a little change in the monotony of their home life might
have been expected to do. They all felt faint and weary with their
depressing prospects. Were things to go on for life as they now
were? It was a question they often asked themselves. And, for all
they could see, the answer was—Yes. Even Edina at times lost heart,
and indulged in a good cry in secret.

Matters were not in a much better state at Frank Raynor's. It is true

no poverty was there, no privation; but the old happiness that
existed between him and his wife had disappeared. Daisy was much
changed. The once warm-hearted girl had become cold and silent,
and frightfully apathetic. Her husband never received a kindly look
from her, or heard a loving tone. She did not complain. She did not
reproach him. She did not find fault with any earthly thing. She just
went through life in a listless kind of manner, as if all interest had
left her for ever. Frank put it down to dissatisfaction at their changed
circumstances; to the obscure manner in which they lived. Ever and
anon he would try to breathe a word of hope that things would be
different sometime: but his wife never responded to it.

Steeped in her miserable jealousy, was Mrs. Frank Raynor. All

through this past year had she been silently indulging it. It had
become a chronic ailment; it coloured her mind by day and her
dreams by night. The most provoking feature of it all was, that she
could not obtain any tangible proof of her husband's delinquency,
anything very special to make a stir about: and how intensely
aggravating that is to a jealous woman, let many confess. That her
husband did go to Mrs. Bell's frequently, was indisputable: but then,
as a counterbalance to that, there was the fact that he went in his
professional capacity. No end of pills and potions were entered in
Mrs. Bell's name in the medicine-book, and Daisy was therefore
unable to assert that the plea for his visits was a mere pretence. But
she believed it was so. Once, chance had given her an opportunity
of speaking of these visits. A serious accident happened in the street
just opposite their door, through a vicious horse. Daisy watched it
from the drawing-room window; saw the injured man brought into
the surgery. She ran down in distress. Frank was not at home. The
boy flew one way in search of him, Eve ran another: but Frank could
not be found, and the poor man had to be carried insensible
elsewhere. "I'm very sorry," said Frank, when he returned, speaking
rather carelessly; "I was at Mrs. Bell's." "You appear to be pretty
often there," retorted Daisy, an angry sound in her usually cold
tones. "I go every two or three days," said he. And how much
oftener, I wonder! thought Daisy: but she said nothing more.

No, there was no tangible proof of bad behaviour to be brought

against him. Not once, during the whole past twelvemonth, had she
even seen them abroad together. She did not watch Frank as at first;
she had grown ashamed of that, perhaps a little weary; and she had
not once been rewarded by the sight of Rosaline. Had that
obnoxious individual been a myth, she could not have more
completely hidden herself from her neighbours and from Daisy on a
week-day. On Sundays Daisy generally saw her at church. The girl
would be sitting quietly in her pew wearing a plain black silk gown;
still, devout, seeming to notice no one: had she been training for a
nun, the world could not have appeared to possess less interest for
her. Her black lace veil was never lifted from her face: but it could
not hide that face's beauty. As soon as church was over Rosaline
seemed to glide away before any one else stirred, and was lost to
sight.

In this unsatisfactory manner the seasons had passed, Frank and his
wife living in an estranged atmosphere, without any acknowledged
cause for the unhappy state of affairs.

On this self-same evening when Edina was on her way to them, the
West Indian mail brought a letter to Frank from Mr. Max Brown. That
roving individual wrote regularly once a month, all his letters being
filled, more or less, with vague promises of return. Vague, because
no certain time was ever given. Frank called Eve to light the lamp,
and stood by the fire in the little parlour whilst he read his letter. It
was a genial autumn, and very few people had taken to fires; but
Daisy ever seemed chilly, and liked one lighted at twilight.
"He says he is really coming, Daisy," cried Frank in quick tones as he
looked over the letter. "Listen: 'I am now positively thinking of
starting for home, and may be with you soon after the beginning of
the new year. I know that you have thought my prolonged absence
singular, but I will explain all in person. My mother is, I fear,
sinking!'"

Mrs. Frank Raynor made no reply of any sort. For days together she
would not speak to her husband, unless something he might say
absolutely demanded an answer.

"And when Brown comes, we shall have to leave," went on Frank.

"You will be glad of it, I am sure."

"I don't care whether we leave or not," was the ungracious retort.

And she really did not seem to care. Life, for her, had lost its
sweetness. Nay, she probably would prefer, of the two, to remain
where she was. If away, the field would be so free and open for her
husband and that obnoxious young woman, Rosaline Bell.

"I shall be at liberty, once Brown is here again to take to his own
practice," continued Frank; "and I will try to place you in a more
genial atmosphere than this. I know you have felt it keenly, Daisy,
and are feeling it still; but I have not been able to help myself."

His tone was considerate and tender; he stooped unexpectedly and

kissed her forehead. Daisy made no response: she passively endured
the caress, and that was all. The tears sprang to her eyes. Frank did
not see them: he carried his letter into the surgery, where very much
of his home time was passed.

His thoughts were far away. Would Mr. Blase Pellet tolerate this
anticipated removal when it came? Or, would he not rather dodge
Frank's footsteps and establish himself where he could still keep him
in view? Yes: Frank felt certain that he would. Unconscious though
Frank was of his wife's supervision, he felt persuaded in his mind
that he was ever subjected to that of Blase Pellet. It was not, in one
sense of the word, offensive; for not once in three months did he
and Pellet come into contact with each other: but Frank felt always
as a man chained—who can go as far as the chain allows him, but
no farther. With all his heart he wished that he could better his
position for Daisy's sake; had long wished it; but in his sense of
danger he had been contented to let things go on as they were,
dreading any attempt at change. Over and over again had he felt
thankful for the prolonged wanderings of Mr. Max Brown, which
afforded him the plea for putting up with his present lot.

Daisy set on with her discontented face. A very pretty face still;
prettier, if anything, than of yore; with the clear eyes and their
amber light, the delicate bloom on the lovely features, the sunny,
luxuriant hair. She often dressed daintily, wishing in her secret heart,
in spite of her resentment, to win back her husband's allegiance.
This evening she wore a dark blue silk, one of the remnants of
better days, with some rich white lace falling at the throat, on which
rested a gold locket, attached to a thin chain. Very, very pretty did
Edina think her when she arrived, and was brought into the room by
Frank.

"You never come to see me now," began Daisy, in fretful tones of

complaint. "I might be dead and buried, for all you or any one else
would know of it, Edina."

"Ah, no, Margaret, you might not," was Edina's answer. "Not while
you have Frank at your side. If you really needed us, he would take
care that we should be sent for."

"All the same, every one neglects me," returned Daisy. "I am glad
you have thought of me at last."

"I came this evening with a purpose," said Edina: who would not
urge in excuse the very little time she had to give to visiting, for
Daisy must be quite aware of it. And she forthwith, loosening her
bonnet-strings, told Frank of Mr. Street's visit, of its purport, and of
their own conjectures at Laurel Cottage after the banker had
departed.

"Why, yes, it was I who emptied that ebony desk," said Frank. "A
false bottom! I really can't believe it, Edina. Some of us would have
found it out."

"We cannot doubt Mr. Street. He knew nothing of it himself, you

hear, until Mr. George Atkinson spoke about it."

"But why in the world did not Atkinson speak about it before? When
he was last in England these bonds were being hunted for, high and
low."

"He says, I tell you, that he forgot all about the desk and its secret
compartment. But, Frank, we cannot remedy the omission if we talk
of it for ever; what I wanted to ascertain from you is, whether you
remember where you left the desk."

"No, that I don't. I remember turning the bills and papers out of it
wholesale, and carrying them into the room where Mrs. Raynor was
sitting. As to the desk, I suppose it remained upon the table."

"You are sure you emptied it of all the papers?"

"Quite sure," replied Frank. "I turned the desk upside down and
shook the papers out, and saw that the desk was quite empty."

"Kate says she saw you do it. But she does not recollect what
became of the desk."

"Neither do I. No doubt it was left in the room. I dare say it still

remained there when you all came away from the house."

"Well, it cannot be found," concluded Edina. "I think the probability

is, that the desk was packed up by the servants and brought away in
one of the large boxes, and was lost in the fire. If it had remained at
Eagles' Nest, it would no doubt be there still?"

"Then I suppose they will never find the lost money as long as oak
and ash grow," observed Frank. "It is a very unsatisfactory thing.
George Atkinson ought to have remembered and spoken in time."

He was called away into the surgery, and Edina began to retie her
bonnet-strings. Daisy had picked up some crochet-work.

"Why don't you take your bonnet off, Edina, and stay?"

"Because I must go home, dear."

"Not before you have had some supper. Not stay for it! Why can't
you stay?"

"I do not like going back so late."

"As if any one would hurt you!"

"I do not fear that. But I am not London bred, you know, Margaret,
and cannot quite overcome my dislike to London streets at night."

"Oh, very well. No one cares to be with me now."

Edina looked at her. It was not the first indication by several that
Mrs. Frank Raynor had given of a spirit of discontent.

"Will you tell me what is troubling you, Margaret? Something is, I

know."

"How do you know?"

"Because I perceive it. I detect it every time I see you."

"It's nothing at all," returned Daisy—who would not have spoken of

her jealousy for the world. "That is, nothing that any one could help
or hinder."

"My dear," said Edina, bending nearer to her, her sweet voice
sounding like music, "that some grievance or other is especially
trying you, I think I cannot mistake. But oh, remember one thing,
and take comfort. In the very brightest and happiest lot, lurks
always some sorrow. Every rose, however lovely, must have its
thorn. We ought not, in the true interest of our lives, to wish it
otherwise. God sends clouds, Margaret, as well as sunshine. He will
guard you whilst trouble lasts, if you only bear patiently and put
yourself under His care; and He will bring you out of trouble in His
own good time. Trust to Him, my dear, for He is a sure refuge."

And when Edina had left, Frank escorting her through the more
narrow streets, Daisy burst into tears, and sobbed bitterly. Indulging
this jealousy might be very gratifying to her temper; but it had
lasted long, and at times she felt ill and weak.

"If God cared for me He would punish that Rosaline Bell," was her
comment on Edina's words. "Lay her up with a broken leg, or
something."

CHAPTER VI.

UNDER THE CHURCH WALLS

"I cannot buy the bonnet unless you will make the alteration at
once. Now: so that I may take it home with me in the carriage."
The speaker was Mrs. Townley. Daisy was spending the day with her
in Westbourne Terrace, and they had come out shopping. Mrs.
Townley had fallen in love with a bonnet she saw in a milliner's
window in Oxford Street; she entered the shop and offered to buy
the bonnet, subject to some alteration. The proprietor of the
business seemed rather unwilling to make it.

"I assure you, madam, it looks better as it is," she urged. "Were we
to substitute blue flowers for the grey and carry the side higher, it
would take away all its style at once."

Mrs. Townley somewhat hesitated. If there was one thing she went
in for, above all else, it was "style." But she liked to have her own
way also, and thought a great deal of her own taste.

"Three parts of these milliners object to any suggested alteration

only to save themselves trouble," she said aside to Daisy. "Don't you
think it would look better as I propose?"

"I hardly know," replied Daisy. "If we could first see the alteration,
we might be able to judge."

But, to make the change, unless the bonnet was first bought,
Madame François, the milliner, absolutely refused. It would ruin it,
she said, for another customer. Of course she would alter it, if
madam insisted after purchasing the bonnet; but she must again
express her opinion that it would spoil its style.

The discussion was carried on with animation, madame's accent

being decidedly English, in spite of her name. Mrs. Townley still
urged her own opinion, but less strenuously; for she would not have
risked losing the "style" for the world.

"I will call my head milliner," said madame at length. "Her taste is
very superior. Mam'selle, go and ask Miss Bell to step here."
Mam'selle—a young person, evidently French—left her place behind
the counter and went into another room. Every pulse in Daisy's body
seemed to tingle to her fingers' ends when she came back with
Rosaline. Quiet, self-contained, without a smile on her face to betray
any gladness of heart there might be within, Rosaline gave her
opinion when the case was submitted to her. She took the bonnet in
her hand, and kept it there, for a minute, or so, looking at it.

"I think, madame," she said to her mistress, "that if some grey
flowers of a lighter shade were substituted for these, it would be
prettier. Blue flowers would spoil the bonnet. As to the side, it
certainly ought not to be carried higher. It is the right height as it is."

"Then take it, and change the flowers at once, Miss Bell," said
madame, upon Mrs. Townley's signifying her assent to the
suggestion. "The lady will wait. Miss Bell's taste is always to be
depended upon," added madame, as Rosaline went away with the
bonnet.

"How extremely good-looking she is!" exclaimed Mrs. Townley: who

had never seen Rosaline before, and of course knew nothing about
her. "Quite beautiful."

"Yes," assented madame. "When I engaged her I intended her to be

in this front-room and wait on customers; for it cannot be denied
that beauty attracts. But Miss Bell refused, point-blank: she had
come to be in my work-room, she said, not to serve. Had I insisted,
she would have left."

"Is she respectable?"

The question came from Daisy. Swelling with all sorts of resentful
and bitter feelings, she had allowed her anger to get the better of
her discretion; and the next moment felt ashamed of herself.
Madame François did not like it at all.
"Res-pect-able!" she echoed with unnecessary deliberation. "I do not
understand the question, madam."

Daisy flushed crimson. Mrs. Townley had also turned a surprised look
upon her sister.

"Miss Bell is one of the best-conducted young persons I ever knew,"

pursued madame. "Steady and quiet in manner at all times, as you
saw her now. She is very superior indeed; quite a lady in her ways
and thoughts. Before she came to me, nearly two years ago, she
had a business of her own down in Cornwall. That is, her aunt had;
and Miss Bell was with her."

"She looks very superior indeed, to me," said Mrs. Townley, wishing
to smooth away her sister's uncalled-for remark: "her tones are
good. Have you any dentelle-de-Paris?"

The bonnet soon reappeared: but it was not brought by Rosaline.

Mrs. Townley chose some lace; paid the bill, and left. As Daisy
followed her sister into the carriage, her mind in a very unpleasant
whirl, she knew that the matter which had puzzled her—never
seeing her husband abroad with Rosaline—was now explained.
Rosaline was here by day; but, she supposed, went home at night.

It was so. The reader may remember that one evening when Frank
went in to see Dame Bell soon after she had come to London, she
had told him that Rosaline had gone to Oxford Street on some
mysterious errand: mysterious in so far as that Rose had not
disclosed what she went for. The fact was, that Rosaline had then
gone to this very milliner's by appointment, having procured a letter
of introduction to her from a house of business in Falmouth, with the
view of tendering her services. For she knew that her mother's
income was too small to live on comfortably, and it would be well if
she could increase it. Madame François, pleased with her
appearance and satisfied with the letter she brought, engaged her at
once. Rosaline had been there ever since: going up in a morning and
returning home at night. The milliner had wished her to be entirely
in the house, but she could not leave her mother.

On this day, as usual, Rosaline sat at her work in the back-room,

planning out new bonnets—that would be displayed afterwards in
the window as "the latest fashion from Paris:" and directing the
young women under her. That she had a wonderful and innate taste
for the work was recognized by all, and Madame François had
speedily made her superintendent of the room. The girl, as madame
thought, always seemed to have some great care upon her: when
questioned upon the point, Rosaline would answer that she was
uneasy respecting the decaying health of her mother.

More thoughtful than usual, more buried in the inward life, for the
appearance of Mrs. Frank Raynor, whom she knew by sight, had
brought back old reminiscences of Trennach, Rosaline sat to-day at
her employment until the hours of labour had passed. Generally
speaking she went home by omnibus, though she sometimes
walked. She walked this evening: for it was mild and pleasant, and
she felt in great need of fresh air. So that it was tolerably late when
she arrived home: very nearly half-past nine.

The first thing to be noticed was, that her mother's chair was empty:
the room also. Rosaline passed quickly into the bedchamber, and
saw that her mother had undressed and was in bed.

"Why, mother! what's this for? Are you not well?"

"Not very," sighed the dame. "Your supper is ready for you on the
table, Rose."

"Never mind my supper, mother," replied Rose, snuffing the candle,

and putting two or three things straight in the room generally, after
taking off her bonnet. "Tell me what is the matter with you. Do you
feel worse?"
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