an. His discourse was a good one, and if delivered in a natural
voice and at a suitable time, might have made a good impression. As it
was, it produced pity and regret in his elder brother, exasperation in
Captain Lee, profound melancholy in Joseph Tipps, great admiration in
Miss Stocks and the baby, and unutterable _ennui_ in the children.
Fortunately for the success of the day, in the middle of it, he took
occasion to make some reference, with allegorical intentions, to the
lower animals, and pointed to a pig which lay basking in the sunshine at
no great distance, an unconcerned spectator of the scene. A rather
obtuse, fat-faced boy, was suddenly smitten with the belief that this
was intended as a joke, and dutifully clapped his hands. The effect was
electrical--an irresistible cheer and clapping of hands ensued. It was
of no use to attempt to check it. The more this was tried the more did
the children seem to think they were invited to a continuance of their
ovation to the young curate, who finally retired amid the hearty though
unexpressed congratulations of the company.

By good fortune, the arrival of several more friends diverted attention
from this incident; and, immediately after, Captain Lee set the children
to engage in various games, among which the favourite was
blindman's-buff.

One of the new arrivals was Edwin Gurwood, who had come, he said, to
introduce a gentleman--Dr Noble--to Mrs Tipps.

"Oh, the hypocrite!" thought Mrs Tipps; "he has come to see Emma Lee,
and he knows it."

Of course he knew it, and he knew that Mrs Tipps knew it, and he knew
that Mrs Tipps knew that he knew it, yet neither he nor Mrs Tipps
showed the slightest symptom of all that knowledge. The latter bowed to
Dr Noble, and was expressing her happiness in making his acquaintance,
when a rush of laughing children almost overturned her, and hurled Dr
Noble aside. They were immediately separated in the crowd, and, strange
to say, Edwin at once found himself standing beside Emma Lee, who, by
some curious coincidence, had just parted from Netta, so that they found
themselves comparatively alone. What they said to each other in these
circumstances it does not become us to divulge.

While all parties were enjoying themselves to the full, including the
young curate, whose discomfiture was softened by the kind attentions of
Mrs Tipps and her daughter, an incident occurred which filled them with
surprise and consternation. Dr