ed upon to do that," she said smiling; "for this
letter that I have just opened is from him, and he tells me he is
coming here at once to see you, for he thinks it would be too hard to
ask me to spare you again so soon."

"You don't mean to say that he is coming all that way?" Ralph said in
surprise. "Well, I am very glad."

"He asks me in his letter," Mrs. Conway said with a passing smile of
amusement, "if I can take in a young friend of his, Miss Mabel
Withers. He says she has never been from home before, and that it
would be a treat for her to get away and see a little of the world. He
is going to stop a few days in London, and show her the sights on his
way back."

"That will be very jolly, mother. You know I told you what a nice sort
of girl she was, and how well we got on together. I don't know how I
should have got through my visit there if it hadn't been for her. Her
father and mother were very kind too, and I was often over at their
house."

Mr. Penfold had not succeeded in inducing Mr. and Mrs. Withers to
allow Mabel to accompany him without much argument. "You know what I
have set my mind on, Mrs. Withers," he said. "But of course such an
idea doesn't enter the young people's heads, it would be very
undesirable that it should do. But now Ralph has returned he will be
wanting to get his commission at once, and then he may be away on
foreign service for years, and I do think it would be a good thing for
the young people to see as much of each other as possible before he
goes. If anything happens to me before he comes back, and you know how
probable it is that this will be the case, they would meet almost as
strangers, and I do want to see my pet scheme at least on the way to
be carried out before I go. It would be a treat for Mabel, and I am
sure that Mrs. Conway will look after her well."

"How long are you thinking of stopping there, Mr. Penfold?"

"Oh, ten days or a fortnight. I shall be a day or two in town as I go
through, for I want to arrange about Ralph's commission. Then,
perhaps, I shall persuade Mrs. Conway to come up with Ralph to town
with us, and to go about with the young people to see the sights. Now,
if you and Mrs. Withers would join us there, that would complete my
happiness."

The clergyman and his wife both said that this was impossible. But Mr.
Penfold urged his request with so much earnestness, that at last they
agreed to come up to town and stay with him at a hotel. And, indeed,