flirtations. Years, almost, since she had given the little blue
ribbon at Yarrahappini, that was doing more good than she
dreamed of.

Alan looked at her from his pew--the little figure in its sorrowful
black, the shining hair hanging in a plait no longer frizzed at the
end, the chastened droop of the young lips, the wistful sadness
of the blue eyes. He could hardly realize it was the little
scatterbrain girl who had written that letter, and stolen away
through the darkness to meet his graceless young brother.

He clasped her hand when church was over; his grey eyes, with the
quick moisture in them, made up for the clumsy stumbling words of
sympathy he tried to speak.

"Let us be friends always, Miss Meg," he said, as they parted at
the Misrule gate.

"Yes, let us," said Meg.

And the firm, frank friendship became a beautiful thing in both their
lives, strengthening Meg and making the boy gentler.

Pip became his laughing, high-spirited self again, as even the most
loving boy will, thanks to the merciful making of young hearts; but
he used to get sudden fits of depression at times, and disappear all
at once, in the midst of a game of cricket or football, or from
the table when the noise was at its highest.

Bunty presented to the world just as grimy a face as of old, and