"Why are you so hard to me?" she asked again, and her blue eyes were still misty.
"Dora, my dear girl," he said, and there was a certain warmth and affection in his tone, "I am not hard with you, and I have forgiven you with all my heart. Perhaps I was a little angry with you once, men are such touchy creatures; but you did a very kind and wise thing for us both that night, and I thank you for it most truly, for you have saved us both, Dora, from a very great mistake." And then he walked away from her, and took up his position by the fireplace.
Dora's pale cheeks were flaming now, but she made no attempt to answer him.
"I thought you were never coming, papa," she said petulantly, when her father and Flo at that moment entered the room.
When Beatrix returned from her sojourn in the cold school-room she had a rebuke ready for her tardiness.
"I do not know what Mr. Clayton will think of such manners," she said rather severely; but Beatrix only shrugged her shoulders and exchanged a droll glance with Flo.
"I am nearly starved with cold, and I should like some tea, Dorrie," she said very good-humoredly.
"I cannot have you sit in that cold school-room, my dear," observed her father; "there was my study, or Dora's writing-table in the front drawing-room, why could you not use that?"
"Never mind, this cup of tea will warm me," returned Beatrix, hugging herself and shivering.
Garth stirred the fire unasked, and brought her a low chair, and made her have a second cup of tea, waiting on her himself.