in
his brick-red countenance.

'I'm in an awful scrape, ma'am.'

'Of course; I'm always prepared for scrapes when you appear. What is
it? Run over some old lady who is going to law about it?' asked Mrs Jo
cheerfully.

'Worse than that,' groaned Tom.

'Not poisoned some trusting soul who asked you to prescribe, I hope?'

'Worse than that.'

'You haven't let Demi catch any horrid thing and left him behind, have
you?'

'Worse even than that.'

'I give it up. Tell me quick; I hate to wait for bad news.'

Having got his listener sufficiently excited, Tom launched his
thunderbolt in one brief sentence, and fell back to watch the effect.

'I'm engaged!'

Mrs Jo's proof-sheets flew wildly about as she clasped her hands,
exclaiming in dismay:

'If Nan has yielded, I'll never forgive her!'

'She hasn't; it's another girl.'

Tom's face was so funny as he said the words, that it was impossible
to help laughing; for he looked both sheepish and pleased, besides very
much perplexed and worried.

'I'm glad, very glad indeed! Don't care who it is; and I hope you'll
be married soon. Now tell me all about it,' commanded Mrs Jo, so much
relieved that she felt ready for anything.

'What will Nan say?' demanded Tom, rather taken aback at this view of
his predicament.

'She will be rejoiced to get rid of the mosquito who has plagued her so
long. Don't worry about Nan. Who is this "other girl"?'

'Demi hasn't written about her?'

'Only something about your upsetting a Miss West down at Quitno; I
thought that was scrape enough.'

'That was only the beginning of a series of scrapes. Just my luck! Of
course after sousing the poor girl I had to be attentive to her, hadn't
I? Everyone seemed to think so, and I couldn't get away, and so I was
lost before I knew it. It's all Demi's fault, he would stay there and
fuss with his old photos, because the views were good and all the girls
wanted to be taken. Look at these, will you, ma'am? That's the way we
spent our time when we weren't playing tennis'; and Tom pulled a
handful of pictures from his pocket, displaying several in which he was
conspicuous, either holding a sun-umbrella over a very pretty young lady
on the rocks, reposing at her feet in the grass, or perched on a piazza
railing with other couples in seaside costumes and effective attitudes.

'This is she of course?' asked Mrs Jo, pointing to the much-ruffled
damsel with the jaunty hat, coquettish shoes, and racqu