his arms, and covered her lips with kisses; and she, putting
her arms round his neck, said with a smile,--

'I have waited for you so long, my love, so long!'

And here it is fit that we should follow the example of the three
sisters, and retire also.

The moral of this story is, that if your godfathers and godmothers at
your baptism give you a pretty name, you will probably marry the most
beautiful woman in the world and live happily ever afterwards.... And
the platitudinous philosopher may marvel at the tremendous effects of
the most insignificant causes, for if Amyntas had been called Peter or
John, as his mother wished, William II. might be eating sauerkraut as
peacefully as his ancestors, the Lord Mayor of London might not drive
about in a gilded carriage, and possibly even--Mr Alfred Austin might
not be Poet Laureate....

DAISY

I

It was Sunday morning--a damp, warm November morning, with the sky
overhead grey and low. Miss Reed stopped a little to take breath before
climbing the hill, at the top of which, in the middle of the churchyard,
was Blackstable Church. Miss Reed panted, and the sultriness made her
loosen her jacket. She stood at the junction of the two roads which led
to the church, one from the harbour end of the town and the other from
the station. Behind her lay the houses of Blackstable, the wind-beaten
houses with slate roofs of the old fishing village and the red brick
villas of the seaside resort which Blackstable was fast becoming; in the
harbour were the masts of the ships, colliers that brought coal from the
north; and beyond, the grey sea, very motionless, mingling in the
distance with the sky.... The peal of the church bells ceased, and was
replaced by a single bell, ringing a little hurriedly, querulously,
which denoted that there were only ten minutes before the beginning of
the service. Miss Reed walked on; she looked curiously at the people who
passed her, wondering....

'Good-morning, Mr Golding!' she said to a fisherman who pounded by her,
ungainly in his Sunday clothes.

'Good-morning, Miss Reed!' he replied. 'Warm this morning.'

She wondered whether he knew anything of the subject which made her
heart beat with excitement whenever she thought of it, and for thinking
of it she hadn't slept a wink all night.

'Have you seen Mr Griffith this morning?' she asked, watching his face.

'No; I saw Mrs Griffith and George as I was walking up.'

'Oh! they are coming to