id very little about about him, but he had not approved of him, and,
seeing the young man now so frank and friendly, she could not but wonder
why.

They did not go into the house, and by and by they all crossed the
garden and went up on the railway track to watch the boat; and, being a
little behind the others, leading little Mary between them, his mother
asked David what was the reason of his dislike.

"Dislike! mamma," said David, in surprise. "I don't dislike him. I
don't know him very well. He has had very little to say to me. Why
should you think that I dislike him?"

"Perhaps dislike is too strong a word. But I fancied that you did not
quite approve of him, David."

"Approve of him! Well--he is not one of us--of our kind of people, I
mean. He does not look at things as we do. I don't dislike him, mamma,
but I don't care about him."

"Which means he doesn't care about you?" said his mother, smiling.

David laughed.

"He certainly does not. He is much too great a man to have anything to
say to me. But I don't think that is the reason that I don't `approve'
of him, as you say. He is not in earnest about anything. He is
extravagant--he spends a great deal of money foolishly. But I ought not
to speak of that. Mr Caldwell told me, and he seemed quite as well
pleased that we should have little to say to one another. He said Frank
was the better companion for Jem and me."

"I dare say that is true," said his mother.

But all this did not prevent the young people from having a very
pleasant afternoon together. The boat came back after "a reasonable
time," and then the others went for a sail, and David acknowledged that
Mr Philip was in earnest about his rowing, at any rate, and permitted
himself to admire his activity and skill. When the boat was brought in
among the willows again, it was almost dark.

"Suppose we leave it here?" said Frank. "It will be quite safe, and we
can send for it on Monday."

"It would not be a bad place to leave it here altogether," said his
brother.

Jem was delighted with the idea, and said so; but David gave his mother
a doubtful look.

"Come in to tea," said she, "and you can decide about it afterwards."

The Oswalds had not dined, but they did not refuse the invitation, as,
for a single minute, Violet hoped they might. The simple arrangements
of her mother's table were not at all like those which Miss Oswald
considered necessary in her father's house, but