ho worked in his father's blacksmith shop and did not even know that
there were such things in existence as Euclid and Algebra. Jessie came
next; John Egerton stepped out from the ranks and raised his hat. "And
may I have the pleasure of walking down the hill with you, Miss
Jessie?" he asked, and the girl, murmuring some faint, shy words of
consent, they walked side by side down the leafy path where the
moonbeams through the trees made flecks of light upon her white dress.

The few stragglers still standing at the gate noticed the little scene
and many were the comments upon what would likely transpire if the
minister took to "keeping company with Don Neil's girl."

There was one who had noted the affair with perfect approval. Sylvanus
Todd had long worshipped Maggie Hamilton from afar with absolutely no
success; but so far from being disheartened by continuous rebuffs, he
only seemed to increase in ardour under them. He adored Mr. Egerton's
elegant ease and tried to copy it upon all occasions. His manner of
addressing Jessie he considered irresistible and felt sure it would not
fail with even so hardhearted a divinity as was his. Maggie was just
emerging from the church, talking and laughing in a way that would have
scandalised old Andrew Johnstone, when Syl stepped forward to put his
new formula to the test. Raising his hat in precise imitation of the
young minister's easy grace, he said, in as near an approach to Mr.
Egerton's deep, musical tone as he could manage, "And may I have the
pleasure of walking down the hill with you, _Miss_ Maggie?"

But the result was quite different. Maggie turned and stared at him in
genuine consternation. "Merciful gracious!" she screamed, "he's gone
clean, stark, staring crazy!"

Mr. Todd was about to reply with some dignity, when Allan Fraser, who
followed the more expeditious if less elegant method of the ordinary
young man of Glenoro and never asked permission, caught Maggie's arm
and swept her unceremoniously from underneath Sylvanus' nose.

Meanwhile, John Egerton, strolling slowly down the leafy path at
Jessie's side, was enjoying himself. This was the first time he had
ever been alone with the girl and by tactful questions he found out
more about her in their short walk than in all of their previous
acquaintance. His discoveries were all pleasant. As he had surmised,
she was more serious than her sisters; she had read a little,
too,--Dickens and Scott and some o