girl. She knows better what it is now, and she was glad to have me
to talk to again, though Miss Mary has been so kind to her.'

'Oh, nobody can be so much to her as you.'

'Poor Ave!' said Leonard, tenderly. 'And look here, this is my
father's watch, and she made me this chain of my mother's hair. And
they have given me a photograph of my mother's picture; Henry had it
done long ago, but thought it would upset me to give it before I went
away. If he could but have guessed how I lay and wished for one!'

'Those are the things one never can guess, even when one would give
worlds to do so.'

'You--O, Miss May, you always know the thing that is comfortable.'

'Well,' said Ethel, 'what will be comfortable now is that you should
be the man above being affronted by other people's nonsense--the only
way to show we did not all spoil each other at Coombe. Now, here is
Woodstock for you, and tell me if this be not your Cidaris. Oh, and
we have found out the name of your funny spiked shell.'

Ten minutes of palaeontology ensued; and she was leading the way back
to the drawing-room, when he exclaimed, 'Have you heard about the
match, Miss May?'

'Match? Oh, the cricket match?'

'Stoneborough against All England, on St. Matthew's Day, so I shall
have got my hand in.'