forbearing, and above all, to your elder brother.'

'Well, it is a blessing that I shall be in school on Monday.'

'So it is,' said Ethel; 'but, barring these fidgets, Leonard, tell me,'
and she looked kindly at him, 'how is it at home? Better than you
expected, I hope.'

'Blank enough' said Leonard; 'I didn't think I should have minded the
sound of the surgery door so much.'

'You will have Sunday to help you.'

'Yes, Ave and I have been down to the churchyard; Ave does care, poor
girl. She knows better what it is now, and she was glad to have me to
talk to again, though Miss Mary has been so kind to her.'

'Oh, nobody can be so much to her as you.'

'Poor Ave!' said Leonard, tenderly. 'And look here, this is my
father's watch, and she made me this chain of my mother's hair. And
they have given me a photograph of my mother's picture; Henry had it
done long ago, but thought it would upset me to give it before I went
away. If he could but have guessed how I lay and wished for one!'

'Those are the things one never can guess, even when one would give
worlds to do so.'

'You--O, Miss May, you always know the thing that is comfortable.'

'Well,' said Ethel, 'what will be comfortable now is that you should be
the man above being affronted by other people's nonsense--the only way
to show we did not all spoil each other at Coombe. Now, here is
Woodstock for you, and tell me if this be not your Cidaris. Oh, and we
have found out the name of your funny spiked shell.'

Ten minutes of palaeontology ensued; and she was leading the way back
to the drawing-room, when he exclaimed, 'Have you heard about the
match, Miss May?'

'Match? Oh, the cricket match?'

'Stoneborough against All England, on St. Matthew's Day, so I shall
have got my hand in.'

'All England meaning every one that can be scraped up that is not
Stoneborough,' returned Ethel. 'George Larkins has been over here
canvassing Tom and Aubrey. But you can't be going to play, Leonard;
papa does not half like it for Aubrey.'

'Perhaps not for Aubrey,' said Leonard; 'but I am as well as ever, and
luckily they can't make up a decent eleven without me. You will come
and see us, Miss May? I'll find you the jolliest place between the old
lime and the cloister door.'

'As if I had not known the meads ages before your time!' said Ethel.

'I thought you never came to the matches?'

'Ah! you don't remember my brothers' Stoneborough days, when Norman wa