'Only one biscuit!' exclaimed the Doctor. There was an evident hesitation for a moment; then the nauseous mixture was swallowed, and the empty glass laid upon the tray, with a look which Faith seemed instantly to understand, and answered by conveying the obnoxious objects as quickly as possible from his sight, whilst Mrs. Patty handed him the solitary biscuit, saying, as she saw him glance at the empty plate, 'Two would spoil your appetite.'

'Patty, I shall keep the globules myself,' was the Doctor's rejoinder; 'mind you let me have them.'

'We will see, Doctor, dear; don't think anything more about it; there is some nice porridge for dinner. Shall you want anything more before I go out?'

'Nothing,' was the irritable reply; but the very next moment the old man looked up and repeated gently, 'Nothing, thank you, Patty; only, if you meet Mr. Baines, tell him I should be glad to see him.'

'Mr. Baines dines with the Camerons to-day, so I hear,' said Mrs. Patty; 'I don't see clearly what makes him like to go there so often.'

'He is dull, and there are young people there,' replied the Doctor, abstractedly; and he turned to resume his studies with an eagerness which seemed to show that he trusted to St. Augustine to help him to forget the nauseous flavour that still lingered in his mouth.

Mrs. Patty stood for a moment in thought, and then trotted rather than walked out of the room, muttering to herself, 'I dare say she is very good; I ought not to say a word; no, I ought not; and perhaps he never thinks about her, only it might be

better for him not to be always laughing and talking with her.'

Mrs. Patty Kingsbury followed Faith into the kitchen, à pleasant-looking room, bright with wellkept pewter covers, and a dinner-set of real china of the old-fashioned willow pattern. The lattice windows were open upon a back court, kept in perfect order, and made really pretty by a few pet plants. An arm-chair stood by the window, and Mrs. Patty seated herself in it, and summoned Betsey, the cook, to a consultation with herself and Faith.

'Your master won't take kindly to the porridge much longer, Betsey; you must think of something else for him.'

'He has had it but three days, ma'am, and my father took it for a fortnight.'

'Dr. Kingsbury is of a different constitution to your father,' observed Mrs. Patty, with a slight tone of offended dignity. 'Mr. Harrison says his case is peculiar. You know, Faith, he objects to gruel also.'

'Quite, ma'am,' replied Faith, shaking her head. 'He objects to everything now, except the pins' heads. To think of Miss Medley's deluding him so! But he'll give in, ma'am; don't take on so, pray now don't. He took down the draught quite good, like a baby, Betsey; he did indeed.'

'He did indeed,' repeated Mrs. Patty; '‘but, Betsey, I think I should have a mutton-chop ready, in case the porridge does not suit. They are very good-are men-very good indeed; you know, Betsey, we ought to look up to them, and we do; but

they like their own way in eating and drinking, and very natural.'

6

'You mustn't let master be asked out yet, Mrs. Patty; if you'll forgive my boldness for saying so,' said Betsey. There's been Colonel Verney's man down, since breakfast, and he says they are likely to have a gay time there before long, for the Colonel's nephew is expected back from India, and there will be dinner-parties for him.'

'Your master requires no check but a sense of duty,' was Mrs. Patty's reply; whilst Faith added quickly :

'One would think, Betsey, that master ate and drank like a tiger; but he has no more appetite than a chick just out of its shell.'

'May be,' replied Betsey; but if 't was a saint, I would n't put him down to gruel at one end and turtle soup at the other. Those grand dinners at the Colonel's are a perfect sight. How do you wish the mutton-chop dressed, Mrs. Patty?'

'Quite plain, Betsey; it can't be too plain. Did the butler say when Mr. Charles Verney was expected?'

The day after to-morrow, ma'am; and Conyers, at Mrs. Cameron's, says that her mistress and Miss Rosamond are asked there for next week. She does not quite know what day.'

'Miss Myra must be getting nearly old enough to go out now, surely,' said Faith. 'I wonder nobody ever asks her.'

'Such a wee whimpering child as that!' exclaimed Betsey; 'why, if anything went wrong she would

burst out storming in the middle of dinner. I never did see anyone so queer, for her age — no, never.'

'Yet there's something good about her too,' said Faith. There is not one of the young ladies as pays master half the respect Miss Myra does.'

Mrs. Patty had been sitting with rather an absent air during this short colloquy between her servants, but the last sentence caught her attention. Perhaps the discussion struck her as somewhat unfitting, for she rose up and said gravely, 'Mutton-chop, thenquite plain—at four o'clock.'

A burst of laughter was heard at the open window.

Faith, is that you?-do come here, please do, Faith.' The voice was Juliet Cameron's; her round merry face appeared at the lattice; she evidently did not see Mrs. Patty. Myra has slipped down the bank into the pond; she is not hurt, she is only wet, and a little frightened; and she wants to know if Betsey will let her come and dry herself at the kitchen fire.'

Myra can come into the parlour, my dear,' said Mrs. Patty, advancing.

'Oh, Mrs. Patty, I beg your pardon. I did n't know you were here. Myra told me not to go to the front-door, because of the Doctor's being unwell; and she said it would be making a fuss. There is nothing the matter. Catharine Verney is therethat is Mrs. Verney's niece, you know; and she and Myra were talking, and not looking where they went, and Myra fell and rolled over, that was all.

It was so very odd to see her; she went down the bank like a ball: you can't think how droll it was.'

'Young ladies should learn to walk straight,' observed Faith, before Mrs. Patty could reply. 'Is Miss Myra very wet?'

'Faith, if you please to fetch my garden-bonnet, I shall go and see about it,' said Mrs. Patty. 'It may be better that Myra should go home.'

'Myra won't do that till she is dry, if she should have to stay in the sun all the afternoon,' said Juliet, her laughter breaking forth again. Mamma would scold her. You know, Mrs. Patty, she always says Myra is no better than a child of five years old; and she did roll over just like one.'

Faith brought the bonnet, a very remarkable one— a deep curtain behind, a kind of pent-house before -at the far end of which Mrs. Patty's face appeared somewhat like the sun in a mist.

'We will go and see, my dear,' was her reply to Juliet's remark. 'Betsey, remember the muttonchop; and, Faith, if I am not back to take the Clothing Club pence, when the women come at two o'clock, you must begin.'

So like her, that is-looking after things so long beforehand,' observed Betsey to Faith, as Mrs. Patty joined Juliet in the court; why, she may walk to Marston and back before two o'clock comes.'

'It is because she would n't run the chance of neglecting,' was Faith's reply.

Mrs. Patty did not encourage Juliet's communicativeness. She walked on at a steady quick pace, to which Juliet found it somewhat difficult to accom