But the centre of interest was changed for all by the arrival of Fred

Vincy. When, seating himself on a garden-stool, he said that he was on

his way to Lowick Parsonage, Ben, who had thrown down his bow, and

snatched up a reluctant half-grown kitten instead, strode across Fred's

outstretched leg, and said "Take me!"

"Oh, and me too," said Letty.

"You can't keep up with Fred and me," said Ben.

"Yes, I can. Mother, please say that I am to go," urged Letty, whose

life was much checkered by resistance to her depreciation as a girl.

"I shall stay with Christy," observed Jim; as much as to say that he

had the advantage of those simpletons; whereupon Letty put her hand up

to her head and looked with jealous indecision from the one to the

other.

"Let us all go and see Mary," said Christy, opening his arms.

"No, my dear child, we must not go in a swarm to the parsonage. And

that old Glasgow suit of yours would never do. Besides, your father

will come home. We must let Fred go alone. He can tell Mary that you

are here, and she will come back to-morrow."

Christy glanced at his own threadbare knees, and then at Fred's

beautiful white trousers. Certainly Fred's tailoring suggested the

advantages of an English university, and he had a graceful way even of

looking warm and of pushing his hair back with his handkerchief.

"Children, run away," said Mrs. Garth; "it is too warm to hang about

your friends. Take your brother and show him the rabbits."

The eldest understood, and led off the children immediately. Fred felt

that Mrs. Garth wished to give him an opportunity of saying anything he

had to say, but he could only begin by observing--

"How glad you must be to have Christy here!"

"Yes; he has come sooner than I expected. He got down from the coach

at nine o'clock, just after his father went out. I am longing for

Caleb to come and hear what wonderful progress Christy is making. He

has paid his expenses for the last year by giving lessons, carrying on

hard study at the same time. He hopes soon to get a private tutorship

and go abroad."

"He is a great fellow," said Fred, to whom these cheerful truths had a

medicinal taste, "and no trouble to anybody." After a slight pause, he

added, "But I fear you will think that I am going to be a great deal of

trouble to Mr. Garth."

"Caleb likes taking trouble: he is one of those men who always do more

than any one would have thought of asking them to do," answered Mrs.

Garth. She was knitting, and could either look at Fred or not, as she

chose--always an advantage when one is bent on loading speech with

salutary meaning; and though Mrs. Garth intended to be duly reserved,

she did wish to say something that Fred might be the better for.




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