and walk back
with Ethel as happily as at Coombe.

The sisters soon followed, and were detained to drink tea. The
cricketers' mirth must have been fast and furious if it exceeded that
at home, for the Doctor thought himself bound to make up for the loss
to Leonard, put forth all his powers of entertainment, and was
comically confidential about 'these Etonians that think so much of
themselves.'

Averil was lively and at ease, showing herself the pleasant
well-informed girl whom Ethel had hitherto only taken on trust, and
acting in a pretty motherly way towards the little sisters. She was
more visibly triumphant than was Leonard, and had been much gratified
by a request from the Bankside curate that she would entirely undertake
the harmonium at the chapel. She had been playing on it during the
absence of the schoolmaster, and with so much better effect than he
could produce, that it had been agreed that he would be best in his
place among the boys.

'Ah!' said the Doctor, 'two things in one are apt to be like Aubrey's
compromise between walking-stick and camp-stool--a little of neither.'

'I don't mean it to be a little of neither with me, Dr. May,' said
Averil. 'I shall have nothing to do with my choir on week-days, till I
have sent these pupils of mine to bed.'

'Are you going to train the choir too?' asked Leonard.

'I must practise with them, or we shall not understand one another;
besides, they have such a horrid set of tunes, Mr. Scudamour gave me
leave to change them. He is going to have hymnals, and get rid of Tate
and Brady at once.'

'Ah! poor Nahum!' sighed the Doctor with such a genuine sigh, that
Averil turned round on him in amazement.

'Yes,' said Ethel, 'I'm the only one conservative enough to sympathize
with you, papa.'

'But does any one approve of the New Version?' cried Averil, recovering
from her speechless wonder.

'Don't come down on me,' said the Doctor, holding up his hands. 'I
know it all; but the singing psalms are the singing psalms to me--and I
can't help my bad taste--I'm too old to change.'

'Oh! but, papa, you do like those beautiful hymns that we have now?'
cried Gertrude.

'Oh! yes, yes, Gertrude, I acquiesce. They are a great improvement;
but then, wasn't it a treat when I got over to Woodside Church the
other day, and found them singing, "No change of times shall ever
shock"!' and he began to hum it.

'That is the Sicilian Mariners' hymn,' said Averil. 'I can