to wear a hat, you know."

PART THE FOURTH--AUTUMN

CHAPTER I: GOING NUTTING

Dick, dressed in his 'second-best' suit, burst into Fancy's sitting-room
with a glow of pleasure on his face.

It was two o'clock on Friday, the day before her contemplated visit to
her father, and for some reason connected with cleaning the school the
children had been given this Friday afternoon for pastime, in addition to
the usual Saturday.

"Fancy! it happens just right that it is a leisure half day with you.
Smart is lame in his near-foot-afore, and so, as I can't do anything,
I've made a holiday afternoon of it, and am come for you to go nutting
with me!"

She was sitting by the parlour window, with a blue frock lying across her
lap and scissors in her hand.

"Go nutting! Yes. But I'm afraid I can't go for an hour or so."

"Why not? 'Tis the only spare afternoon we may both have together for
weeks."

"This dress of mine, that I am going to wear on Sunday at Yalbury;--I
find it fits so badly that I must alter it a little, after all. I told
the dressmaker to make it by a pattern I gave her at the time; instead of
that, she did it her own way, and made me look a perfect fright."

"How long will you be?" he inquired, looking rather disappointed.

"Not long. Do wait and talk to me; come, do, dear."

Dick sat down. The talking progressed very favourably, amid the snipping
and sewing, till about half-past two, at which time his conversation
began to be varied by a slight tapping upon his toe with a walking-stick
he had cut from the hedge as he came along. Fancy talked and answered
him, but sometimes the answers were so negligently given, that it was
evident her thoughts lay for the greater part in her lap with the blue
dress.

The clock struck three. Dick arose from his seat, walked round the room
with his hands behind him, examined all the furniture, then sounded a few
notes on the harmonium, then looked inside all the books he could find,
then smoothed Fancy's head with his hand. Still the snipping and sewing
went on.

The clock struck four. Dick fidgeted about, yawned privately; counted
the knots in the table, yawned publicly; counted the flies on the
ceiling, yawned horribly; went into the kitchen and scullery, and so
thoroughly studied the principle upon which the pump was constructed that
he could have delivered a lecture on the subject. Stepping back to
Fancy, and finding still that she had not don