y way back, provided Mary is willing."

Mary answered that she was always glad to see her friends, and as the
carriage just then drove up, they started together for the depot. Mary
never remembered of having had a more pleasant ride than that from
Boston to Chicopee George was a most agreeable companion, and with him
at her side she seemed to discover new beauties in every object which
they passed, and felt rather sorry when the winding river, and the
blue waters of Pordunk Pond warned her that Chicopee Station was near
at hand.

"I shall see you next week," said George, as he handed her from the
cars, which the next moment rolled over the long meadow, and
disappeared through the deep cut in the sandy hillside.

For a week or more Judith had been at Mrs. Mason's house, putting
things to rights, and when the travellers arrived they found every
thing in order. A cheerful fire was blazing in the little parlor, and
before it stood the tea-table nicely arranged, while two beautiful
Malta kittens, which during the winter had been Judith's special
care, lay upon the hearth-rug asleep, with their soft velvet paws
locked lovingly around each other's neck.

"Oh, how pleasant to be at home once more, and alone," said Mrs.
Mason, but Mary did not reply. Her thoughts were elsewhere, and much
as she liked being alone, the presence of a certain individual would
not probably have marred her happiness to any great extent. But _he_
was coming soon, and with that in anticipation, she appeared cheerful
and gay as usual.

Among the first to call upon them was Mrs. Perkins who came early in
the morning, bringing her knitting work and staying all day. She had
taken to dressmaking, she said, and thought may-be she could get some
new ideas from Mary's dresses, which she very coolly asked to see.
With the utmost good humor, Mary opened her entire wardrobe to the
inspection of the widow, who, having recently forsaken the Unitarian
faith, and gone over to the new Methodist church in River street,
turned conscientiously away from the gay party dresses, wondering how
sensible people, to say nothing of Christian people, could find
pleasure in such vanities!

"But then," said she, "I hear you've joined the Episcopals, and that
accounts for it, for they allow of most any thing, and in my opinion
ain't a whit better than the Catholics."

"Why, we are Catholic. Ain't you?" asked Mary.

The knitting work dropped, and with a short ejaculatory pra