lancing over the paper, Grace suddenly
looked up and said: "Why, they had a wonderfully exciting episode down
in ---- on Sunday last." She had come upon the account of the exploit
with the bull, and read it aloud.

The names being misspelled, she never suspected the real facts.

"That was a brave man," she said, when she had finished. "It must have
been splendid. I wish I could have seen it. How it must have astonished
those villagers. I would like to kiss the man who performed that feat."

"Would you?" said Jack laughingly. "I will tell him so when I meet him."

"Please do," said Grace. "He must have been a grand matador from Spain,"
and springing up, she caught a tidy from the furniture, danced around the
room with it, holding it in both hands as though bating an angry bull,
and suddenly dropping it, made a grab for an imaginary ring and horn, and
twisting both wrists quickly, cried out: "Did I not down his highness
beautifully?"

"Beautifully," said Browning, "and when I meet the man I will tell him of
your vivid imitation."

"And don't forget to tell him I would like to kiss him," said Grace,
laughing.

"Maybe I can fix it so you can tell him yourself, Grace."

"Do you know him, Jack?" asked Rose.

Jack smiled and said, "Perhaps."

"What do you mean, Jack?" asked Grace.

"I know the man, Grace; and so do you," said Jack.

"True?" asked Grace.

"True," said Jack.

"I know him?" asked Grace. "Why, who is there in ---- that would do
anything like that?"

"No one that I know of," said Jack. "But you have forgotten a somewhat
diffident and reserved young man with whom you were conversing in the
parlor an hour ago?"

Grace grew pale, and sank into a seat. "O, Jack, you don't mean--?"

"Yes," he said, interrupting her, "it was Sedgwick, and it was splendidly
done, too. It was, by Jove!"

"Honest?" asked Grace.

"Honest, and I will deliver your message."

Blushing scarlet, Grace sprang up and began to plead.

Browning would promise nothing except that he might possibly put the
matter off a little while. "But," he added, "I believe Jim would give
more to see your imitation than you would to see the original performance
repeated without change of scene."

"Were you not sharp, Jack, to get me to commit myself before ever gaining
a glimpse of this wonderful man?" asked Rose.

"Indeed, was," he replied. "Why, I recall now that once when we were
having a friendly dispute, he threatened that unless I