laughing, "you are mistaken. It was Mr Green who
had been hinting to Harry something you remember; you read it to us the
other morning."

"Yes, but Harry said that Charlie had been saying something of the same
kind," persisted simple Will, who never dreamed of making any one feel
uncomfortable.

"Hinting!" repeated Charlie. "I never hint. I leave that to Mrs
Gridley and her set. I think I must have told Harry that I had seen
Arthur in the Grove carriage one morning, and another day standing
beside it talking to Miss Fanny, while her mamma was in ordering nice
things at Alexander's."

Graeme laughed, she could not help it.

"Oh, that terrible carriage!" said Rose.

"A very comfortable and convenient carriage I found it, many a time,
when I was staying at Mrs Smith's," said Arthur, coolly. "Mrs Grove
was so polite as to invite me to take a seat in it more than once, and
much obliged I was to her, some of those warm August mornings."

"So you see, Will," said Charlie, triumphantly, "I was telling Harry the
simple truth, and he was mean to accuse me of hinting `nonsense,' as you
call it."

"I suppose that is what Mrs Gridley meant the other day when she nodded
so significantly toward the Grove carriage, and asked whether she was to
congratulate us."

Rose spoke with a little hesitation. She was not sure that her brother
would be quite pleased by Mrs Gridley's congratulations, and he was
not.

"Oh! if we are to have Mrs Gridley's kind concern and interest in our
affairs, we shall advance rapidly," said he, a little crossly. "It
would of course be very desirable to discuss our affairs with that
prudent and charitable lady."

"But as I did not suppose there was on that occasion any matters to
discuss there was no discussion," said Graeme, by no means unwilling
that her brother should see that she was not pleased by his manner and
tone to Rose.

"Oh! never mind, Graeme," said Rose, laughing, "we shall have another
chance of being congratulated, and I only hope Arthur may be here
himself. Mrs Gridley was passing when the Grove carriage stood at our
door this morning. I saw her while I was coming up the street. She
will be here in a day or two to offer again her congratulations or her
sympathy."

"Was Mrs Grove here this morning?" enquired Arthur. "She must have
given you her own message then, I suppose."

"She was at the door, but she did not get in. I was out, and Graeme was
busy, and sent her wor