otted out, and remembered the night they parted. And they did not
say what they had expected to say at all. For Gavin whispered, looking
at her dress, "You are wearing my pin." And she looked down for her
ring, and remembered that the hand that had worn it was gone! And she
could only look at him with the tears welling up in her eyes, and then
she was pushed on to make room for Tilly who was crying her pretty eyes
out for no reason at all. It was not much of an interview, but it was
a very great deal to the lovers, and the red spot that had faded from
Gavin's cheeks at the first sight of Christina, flamed up again, and he
rallied Tilly gaily and asked her was she sorry that he had come home?

And when the mothers had all kissed him and bewailed him and rejoiced
over him again, and they had all climbed into their cars and buggies,
and Piper Lauchie had tuned up for a homeward march, The Woman suddenly
remembered that there had been no singing and no addresses and no
programme and nothing but dead silence and tears to welcome the hero of
the Victoria Cross on his return from the war!

It was perfectly outrageous, and not to be tolerated for a moment. She
sprang from her car, leaving Gavin and his Aunts to themselves, and
shouted to Tremendous K. and Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Holmes to come right
back and do it all over again!

But nobody paid the slightest attention. The procession was already
moving down the road without the slightest regard to order. The strain
had been removed, and everybody seemed seized with a joyous madness.
Even Mr. Sinclair waved his hat and laughed at her as his buggy swung
past, leaving the hero in the rear.

Then Marmaduke forsook his companions and without asking permission
scrambled into her car with Gavin, and sat on the silk fringe of Auntie
Elspie's dress, and shouted and waved encouragement to every one that
passed while The Woman screamed expostulations.

"Never mind," he roared, to each one, "we didn't forget to flag the
train!" and from each buggy and car the long delayed cheers burst forth.

In spite of all her efforts the procession dashed away. Though it
wasn't a real procession at all, but a joyous scramble, with every one
getting in every one else's way. The children would not go back into
their hay-wagon, but scrambled all over into the best cars, and the
girls in the choir got mixed up with the boys in single buggies, and a
crowd of foolish young fellows got into Mr. H