gentle, genial manner was not in the least like that of the lady teachers of 'Lizabeth Ann's acquaintance, and still less like her conception of an Irish lady.

Shoo fair caps' me,' she said afterwards to Sally, in allusion to Norah's being Irish, 'shoo fair caps me; but there's gooid an' bad in all countries, aw reckon. Shoo brades of her own voice, an' aw niver heerd nowt no sweeter in all my days. Eh, mun! it wor like moonlight set to music; it wor that.'

We have dwelt a little upon this sudden friendship between Norah and 'Lizabeth Ann, because it became of importance to our heroine in this way. After dining on the rocks by the river in the shadow of the abbey, 'Lizabeth Ann proposed to show Norah a waterfall, a mile and a half higher up. None of the others cared to go so far to see what was no novelty to them, and therefore these two set out alone. When they reached the place, Norah, who could climb like a goat, took it into her wild head to clamber up the cliff at the side of the fall. While 'Lizabeth Ann was looking up amazed and admiring, Mr. Reid Summers stood suddenly beside her.

'My sister,' he said, 'desired me to ask if you would kindly help them to pack the things. I shall see after Miss Wyndham.'

Malvolio.-Lady, you have. Pray you, peruse that letter.

And tell me, in the modesty of honour,

Why you have given me such clear lights of favour?

MR. REID SUMMERS' resolution to join the picnic party was not so sudden as his unexpected appearance amongst its members. He had made up his mind yesterday to baffle the Argus-eyed vigilance of his people by starting for Selbysedge, and, after a couple of hours' shooting and some lunch, taking the train thence to Serborne. Lunch, however, was later than he had calculated upon, and he could only catch a train which brought him to Serborne but two hours before the departure of the last train for Springthorpe. He found the party in a wild whirl of dissipation, playing the most popular Sunday-school game in the West Riding—‘Bingo,' probably the most pointless game the wit of man has ever devised.

1 Caps,' i.e. astonishes.

6

This is the way of it. The players form a ring, within the centre some person of education who can spell Bingo unerringly. Round him the ring circles singing: A farmer's dog sat on a stile, they called him little Bingo. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. Bingo was his name, oh.' This incantation duly sung, the ring ceases to circle, and the person of liberal education in the centre points successively to five of its members, the first of whom must say 'B,' the second, 'I,' the third, 'N,' the fourth, G,' and the fifth, 'O.' If the first should say 'I' instead of 'B,' or the second 'B' instead of 'I;' if, in a word, the precise order of the letters in 'Bingo' is not observed by any player on being challenged thus, he pays the penalty of replacing the person in the centre. It will be seen that 'Bingo,' like chess, is less a game than an intellectual contest, in which only experts in spelling can hope to make a figure. Probably for this reason it is incomparably the most popular of all Sunday-school games in the Riding.

It was being played now with breathless zest by Miss Summers, Carrie, and the class; Mr. Simmons, as an M.A. of Cambridge, being set in the centre. Reid Summers' appearance dissolved the fairy revel

Displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting,
With most admired disorder.

'Reid!' exclaimed Ann, with a by no means joyous surprise in her tone.

'Pray don't let me interrupt your game,' he said absently, his eye wandering in vain search of Norah from group to group of girls.

'I thought you were shooting!' cried Ann in a tone of sarcasm. 'So I was, all the morning,' he replied, still almost mechanically, his mind being busy wondering where Norah was, fearing she hadn't come at all. Ann, concluding that he would fear this, and imagining that he wouldn't, by asking after Norah, make the meaning of his coming plain to the whole party, resolved to say nothing herself, nor allow the others to say anything in explanation of the girl's absence. When Norah rejoined the party it would then be time for them to return, and a tête-à-tête in the train was impossible. Therefore she said,

'We shall go on with our game if you don't mind; or, perhaps, you will join us?'

'Well, no; you see, I don't know the game.'

"Not "Bingo "!' exclaimed Carrie. 'You must learn" Bingo ;" if the excitement wouldn't be too much for you.'

'I fear it would,' he said, with a grim imitation of a smile. He was horribly disappointed, as he had now no doubt that Norah

had stayed for some reason at home. Probably she could not stand another day of Ann's insufferable society.

Meanwhile, Ann hurried the game together promptly and imperiously; ordering the original Der Freischütz, Mr. Simmons, back to the centre of the charmed circle. But Mr. Simmons, conscious of the preposterous figure his melancholy and stork-like form and aspect made as the centre of such a game, declined to play on the plea of wishing to consult Mr. Summers on some church matter.

'You can do that afterwards,' said Ann, with a sharpness which roused Reid's suspicions.

6

'Come along,' he said, seizing the hesitating priest by the arm and dragging him off towards the Abbey. You haven't got so large a party as I expected,' he continued, after they had gone a few steps together. Are they all here ?'

All, except Elizabeth Ann Worsnop, who has gone to guide Miss Wyndham to the waterfall.'

6

Surely one of my sisters might have gone with her?' cried Reid, with apparent petulance, but in real rejoicing. • Miss Wyndham must think it so rude to be sent off with a mill-girl. If you'll excuse me, I shall follow her and relieve her of such a guide.'

So saying, he sped away as on wings, leaving Mr. Simmons to return and report the reason of his disappearance to his sister. Why she received it so crossly, and resented it upon him so unpleasantly during the last hour of their stay, he had no idea.

'Was there ever anything so fortunate?' thought Reid, as he hurried towards the waterfall. He had but to send back this mill hand on some plausible pretext, and he would have Norah wholly to himself for an hour or more. He might need that time, or much of that time, to overcome the single objection he anticipated from her-his family's obvious, and even offensively expressed, opposition to their union. She was, he felt, of such a high and sensitive spirit that only the conviction that his happiness would be wrecked by her rejection of him would overcome this obstacle. Therefore, as he hurried after her, he turned over in his mind different ways of putting this as emphatically as possible, so that Norah could be in no doubt that, by her rejection of him, she would sacrifice to pride-her pride and that of his family-not her own happiness only, but his.

Reaching the foot of the fall and following 'Lizabeth Ann's wide eyes, he saw Norah halfway up the cliff side, and was reminded of her swift and sure-footed climb of Shallee Castle, and of the heroism of which that ruin was the scene. It may be

imagined that the recollection did not diminish the ardour with which he looked up at the slight, supple figure of the girl ascending lightly as the shadow of a cloud. Having summarily dismissed 'Lizabeth Ann, he crept up the cliff slowly and clumsily by comparison, and reached the top so long after Norah that she was about to descend when he appeared.

'Mr. Summers!' she exclaimed, with no more of joyousness in her surprise than his sister had felt. In truth, her heart failed, as she felt face to face with an unpleasant and even distressing scene, which she fancied she had escaped altogether.

'You didn't expect my company here, or, perhaps, desire it,' he added, smiling, as secure from the aversion he affected to fear.

'I thought you were shooting somewhere,' she replied nervously.

'So I was; but I repented, as I did yesterday morning, and for the same reason,' he added significantly, with a look which brought the colour into her face. As she thought silence safest, he didn't get here the opening he hoped for, and therefore had to cast about for another.

I wish you'd sit down, if only to give me an excuse for recovering my breath after scaling that precipice.'

'But I have to get back. I was just going down again.'

'What! Down that sheer precipice? It isn't safe for anything but a fly or a goat. There's a much easier and a much prettier way round by the valley, which I will show you, if you'll accept my guidance.'

'But I have a guide waiting for me below.'

'That mill hand? I sent her back in the hope that you'd prefer me! I'm afraid I flattered myself, but I did think you'd prefer a guide who spoke English.'

As there was no help for it, Norah sat down in silence, with an air of by no means cheerful resignation, which was not encouraging. Somewhat dashed, he sat at her feet and talked, while recovering himself, of the Abbey, the scenery, the view from the cliff, &c.

While talking mechanically on these commonplace topics, his mind was busy encouraging itself with the hope that this chilling reception was due solely to her remembrance of Effie's disclosure of the view Ann, and, indeed, the family in general, took of her visit. Of the reality of the repulse-whatever its cause there was no doubt at all. Norah answered him perfunctorily and in monosyllables, and was unmistakably vexed by his pursuit of her. Therefore he found it more and more difficult

every moment to break such stubborn ice. At last Norah suggested, 'Don't you think it's time we returned?'

Miss Wyndham, how have I offended you?'

"You!' exclaimed Norah, her soft heart immediately remorseful. She had certainly been most ungracious, if not rude.

'I must have offended you, if your manner means anything; and yet there is nothing I should be more sorry for. I cannot express to you how pained I've been by the outrageous rudeness which has shortened your unpleasant visit; but even you have not so much reason to resent it as I have; for it may mean more to me than a passing annoyance; it may have cost me the happiness of my life.' Here he paused for a moment, looking appealingly into her eyes till they fell before his. Auguring the best from her embarrassed expression, he continued with more confidence.

'I think I hope-you know what has come to mean the happiness of my life. It is your hand-your love, Norah.'

Norah, withdrawing hastily the hand he had taken, rose with nervous precipitation.

'I am so sorry, I cannot tell you how sorry I am for this mistake, Mr. Summers,' she said in short, quick breaths, plucking nervously with both hands at the fringe of her parasol.

Her distressed manner encouraged him to break in here, before she had committed herself too positively to retract easily afterwards. The extreme nervousness, natural in so young a girl at such a crisis, was interpreted by him according to his wish and prepossession that she loved him; while the word 'mistake' referred much more probably to Ann's than to his own construction of her conduct. Rising also he seized both her hands-one in each of his-and cried with a fervour she was far from expecting from him: Mistake! You do not mean you cannot mean― that you care nothing for me?' It was precisely what she did mean; but Norah was frightened by his manner into the misgiving that she must have committed herself-from the stiff English point of view-much more deeply than she could possibly have imagined.

6

'I-I care for you,' she stammered, as a friend; but not as you wish.' Still more encouraged by her hesitation and evident distress, he replied vehemently:

'Norah, do not wreck both our lives to gratify the spite and pride of my foolish sister.'

This was rather too much, and Norah was fast getting herself together. But she began.

6

He was not, however, to be interrupted until he had put the case in its true bearings. I know: you were going to say that