Meantime  Courtney  wisely  forbore  to  shoot,
except  where  he  was  certain  of  not  having  his
right  challenged ;  but  shooting  was  become  a  very
secondary  object  with  him.  Drawing,  reading,
painting,  singing,  and  practising  the  guitar  with
Cecile  and  Amy,  took  up  the  greater  part  of  his
time,  and  of  theirs.  Mr.  Harcourt  was  gone
away  for  a  few  days,  and  a  college  friend,  very
shy,  reserved,  and  studious,  was  performing  his
duties  for  him.  Cecile  was  not  at  ease.  She
dared  not  look  within,  but  she  was  appa-
rently in  very  high  spirits.  Her  happy,  even,
serenity  was  gone ;  but  a  brilliant,  sportive  mirth
seemed  to  have  supplied  its  place  !  It  could  not
have  been  very  real,  but  it  was  admirably  simu-
lated !  No — it  could  not  have  been  real ;  for

N  2


180  A  LOVER'S  QUARREL.
directly  she  was  alone,  all  semblance  of  gaiety
forsook  her,  and  large  tears  dimmed  her  spark-
ling eyes,  and  stole  over  her  flushed  cheeks.
Amy  continued  to  attend  the  daily  service,  to
visit  the  poor,  the  sick,  and  to  teach  in  the
schools ;  but  Cecile  had  always  some  plausible
excuse  ready.
