"You brought him away
before supper! No wonder he was cross. Are you going to stay very
long, Harry?"

"Why? Have you any commands for me to execute?"

"No; but I am going to introduce a subject that will try your temper,
judging from our conduct yesterday. I am afraid you will be threatening
to beat some one."

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Now, Graeme, don't you call that flippant? Is it anything about the
big doctor, Rosie?"

"You won't beat him, will you Harry? No. It is only about his sister.
Graeme, Fanny has given me leave to invite her here for a few days, if
you have no objection. She cannot be enjoying herself very much where
she is staying, and it will be a real holiday to the little thing to
come here for a while. She is very easily amused. She makes pleasure
out of everything. Mayn't she come?"

"Certainly, if you would like her to come; I should like to know her
very much."

"And is the big brother to come, too?" asked Arthur.

"No. He leaves town to-day. Will you go with me, Harry, to fetch her
here?"

"But what about `papa and mamma,' to whom you were to be shown? The
cunning, little thing has some design upon you, Rosie, or, perhaps, on
some of the rest of us."

Rose laughed.

"Don't be frightened, Harry. You are safe, as you are not domesticated
with us. And I intend to show myself to `papa and mamma' later, if you
don't object."

"There! look at Graeme. She thinks you and I are quarrelling, Rosie.
She is as grave as a judge."

"Tell us about the party, Harry," said Fanny.

"It was very pleasant. I don't think Graeme enjoyed it much, however.
I wonder, too, that she did not, for there were more nice people there
than we usually see at parties. It was more than usually agreeable, I
thought."

"You are degenerating, Harry," said his brother. "I thought you were
beyond all that sort of thing. I should have thought you would have
found it slow, to say the least."

"And then to make him lose the supper! It was too bad of you, Graeme,"
said Rose.

"Oh! she didn't. I went back again."

They all exclaimed. Only Harry laughed.

"Can I do anything for you and your friend, Rosie?" asked he.

"Yes, indeed you can. I intend to make a real holiday for the little
thing. We are open to any proposal in the way of pleasure, riding,
driving, boating, picnicking, one and all."

"It is very kind of you, Harry, to offer," said Graeme.

"Hem! not at all. I shall be