one groove, by no means laid aside the thought, and
the moment he was out of Leonard's presence, eagerly asked who that
young man was.

'Leonard Ward? he is--he is the son of an old friend,' replied Dr. May,
a little perplexed to explain his connection.

'What is he doing? I never saw any one looking more suited for our
work.'

'Tell him so again,' said Dr. May; 'I know no one that would be fitter.'

They were all taken up with the small grandson the next day. He was
ready in his fairy-page trimness to go to the early service at the
Minster; but he was full of the colonial nil admirari principle, and
was quite above being struck by the grand old building, or allowing its
superiority--either to papa's own church or Auckland Cathedral. They
took him to present to Mary on their way back from church, when he was
the occasion of a great commotion by carrying the precious Master
Charlie all across the hall to his mamma, and quietly observing in
resentment at the outcry, that of course he always carried little Ethel
about when mamma and nurse were busy. After breakfast, when he had
finished his investigations of all Dr. May's domains, and much
entertained Gertrude by his knowledge of them, Ethel set him down to
write a letter to his father, and her own to Meta being engrossing, she
did not look much more after him till Dr. May came in, and said, 'I
want you to sketch off a portrait of her dicky-bird for Meta;' and he
put before her a natural history with a figure of that tiny
humming-bird which is endowed with swansdown knickerbockers.

'By the bye, where is the sprite?'

He was not to be found; and when dinner-time, and much calling and
searching, failed to produce him, his grandfather declared that he was
gone back to Elf-land; but Leonard recollected certain particular
inquiries about the situation of the Grange and of Cocksmoor, and it
was concluded that he had anticipated the Doctor's intentions of taking
him and Mr. Seaford there in the afternoon. The notion was confirmed
by the cockatoo having likewise disappeared; but there was no great
anxiety, since the little New Zealander appeared as capable of taking
care of himself as any gentleman in Her Majesty's dominions; and a note
had already been sent to his aunt informing her of his arrival. Still,
a summons to the Doctor in an opposite direction was inopportune, the
more so as the guest was to remain at Stoneborough only this one day,
and had letters and mes