ll see in time," said Polly, shaking him off, to dance away.

"I don't want to know in time," said Joel, "I want to know now. Mamsie,
what is it?"

"I'm sure I haven't the least idea," said Mother Fisher, who hadn't
heard Joel's announcement. "And I think you would do better, Joey, to
take care of your guest, and let other things wait."

"Oh, Tom doesn't want to be fussed over," said Joel carelessly; yet he
went back to the tall boy standing quite still, in the midst of the
general hilarity. "That's just the way Ben and Polly used to do in the
little brown house," he grumbled--"always running away, and hiding their
old secrets from me, Tom."

"Well, we had to, if we ever told each other anything," said Ben coolly.
"Joel everlastingly tagged us about, Beresford."

"Well, I had to, if I ever heard anything," burst out Joel, with a
laugh. "Come on, Tom," and he bore him off together with Sinbad.

"Polly," Jasper was saying, the two now being off in a corner, "how
fine! Now, perhaps Tom Beresford will sing."

"And play," finished Polly, with kindling face. "Oh Jasper, was anything
ever so gorgeous!" she cried joyfully, for Polly dearly loved
high-sounding words; "and we'll sell a lot more tickets, because he's
new, and people will want to hear him."

"If he will do it," said Jasper slowly, not wanting to dampen her
anticipation, but dreadfully afraid that the new boy might not respond.

"Oh, he'll do it, I do believe," declared Polly confidently; "he must,
Jasper, help about that poor brakeman's family."

And he did. Tom Beresford evidently made up his mind, when he went home
with Joel, to do everything straight through that the family asked him,
for he turned out to be the best visitor they had entertained, and one
and all pronounced him capital. All but Joel himself, who told him very
flatly the second day that he wasn't half as nice as at school, for he
was now running at everybody's beck and nod.

"Instead of yours," said Tom calmly. Then he roared.

"Hush up," cried Joel, very uncomfortable, and getting very red. "Well,
you must acknowledge, Tom, that I want to see something of you, else why
would I have brought you home, pray tell?"

"Nevertheless, I shall do what your sister Polly and your mother and
Jasper and Mr. King ask me to do," said Tom composedly, which was all
Joel got for his fuming. And the most that he saw of Tom after that was
a series of dissolving views, for even Phronsie began to monopol