difficulty was that this was no house for quiet, especially the day
after the master's return: the door-bell kept on ringing, and each time
he looked startled and nervous, though assured that it was only
patients. But at twelve o'clock in rushed Mr. Cheviot's little
brother, with a note from Mary, lamenting that it was too wet for
herself, but saying that Charles was coming in the afternoon, and that
he intended to have a dinner-party of old Stoneborough scholars to
welcome Leonard back.

Meanwhile, Martin Cheviot, wanting to see, and not to stare, and to
unite cordiality and unconsciousness, made an awkward mixture of all,
and did not know how to get away; and before he had accomplished it,
Mr. Edward Anderson was announced. He heartily shook hands with
Leonard, eagerly welcomed him, and talked volubly, and his last
communication was, 'If it clears, you will see Matilda this afternoon.'

'I did not know she was here.'

'Yes; she and Harvey are come to Mrs. Ledwich's, to stay over Sunday;'
and there was a laugh in the corner of his eye, that convinced Ethel
that the torrents of rain would be no protection.

'Papa,' said she, darting out to meet her father in the hall, 'you must
take Leonard out in your brougham this afternoon, if you don't want him
driven distracted. If he is in the house, ropes won't hold Mrs. Harvey
Anderson from him!'

So Dr. May invited his guest to share his drive; and the excitement
began to seem unreal when the Doctor returned alone.

'I dropped him at Cocksmoor,' he said. 'It was Richard's notion that
he would be quieter there--able to get out, and go to church, without
being stared at.'

'Did he like it?' asked Gertrude, disappointed.

'If one told him to chop off his finger, he would do it, and never show
whether he liked it. Richard asked him, and he said, "Thank you." I
never could get an opening to show him that we did not want to suppress
him; I never saw spirit so quenched.'

Charles Cheviot thought it was a mistake to do what gave the appearance
of suppression--he said that it was due to Leonard to welcome him as
heartily as possible, and not to encourage false shame, where there was
no disgrace; so he set his wife to fill up her cards for his
dinner-party, and included in it Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Anderson, for the
sake of their warm interest in the liberated prisoner.

'However, Leonard was out of the scrape,' as the Doctor expressed it,
for he had one of his severe sor