"No, I needn't. He is to come on Monday. I told Nickem I wouldn't
see him to-night; nor, of course, to-morrow."

"Then he'll go to Bearside."

"He may go to Bearside and be --! Oh, Lord! I do wish you'd let me
drop the business for a few minutes when I am in here. You don't
know anything about it. How should you?"

"I know that if I didn't speak you'd let everything slip through
your fingers. There's Mr. Twentyman. Kate, open the door."

Kate, who was fond of Mr. Twentyman, rushed up, and opened the
front door at once. In saying so much of Kate, I do not mean it to
be understood that any precocious ideas of love were troubling that
young lady's bosom. Kate Masters was a jolly bouncing schoolgirl of
fifteen, who was not too proud to eat toffy, and thought herself
still a child. But she was very fond of Lawrence Twentyman, who had
a pony that she could ride, and who was always good-natured to her.
All the family liked Mr. Twentyman,--unless it might be Mary, who
was the one that he specially liked himself. And Mary was not
altogether averse to him, knowing him to be good-natured, manly,
and straightforward. But Mr. Twentyman had proposed to her, and she
had certainly not accepted him. This, however, had broken none of
the family friendship. Every one in the house, unless it might be
Mary herself, hoped that Mr. Twentyman might prevail at last. The
man was worth six or seven hundred a year, and had a good house,
and owed no one a shilling. He was handsome, and about the
best-tempered fellow known. Of course they all desired that he