close to Tom's chair.

"Who is that boy?" she demanded sharply. Then she put up her lorgnette,
and examined him closely as if of a new and probably dangerous species.

Tom slipped off from his chair and stiffened up.

"It's one of Joel's friends," said Mrs. Whitney, slipping her hand
within the tall boy's arm. "The boys are at home from school for a
week."

"Joel's friends," repeated Mrs. Chatterton, paying scant attention to
the rest of the information. Then she gave a scornful cackle. "Haven't
you gotten over that nonsense yet, Marian?" she asked.

"No; and I trust I never shall," replied Mrs. Whitney with a happy
smile. "Now, Cousin Eunice, as you wish to rest, we will go," and she
drew Tom off.

"My boy," she said, releasing him in the hall, to give a bright glance
up at the stormy, astonished face above her, "I know you and Joel will
get dressed as rapidly as possible for dinner, for my father will not
want to be annoyed by a lack of promptness to-night." She did not say,
"because he will have annoyance enough," but Tom guessed it all.

"I will, Mrs. Whitney," he promised heartily. And, thinking he would go
to the ends of the earth for her, to be smiled on like that, he plunged
off over the stairs.

"I've seen the old cat," he cried in smothered wrath to Joel, rushing
into his room.

Joel sat disconsolately on the edge of his bed, kicking off his heavy
shoes, to replace with his evening ones.

"Have you?" said Joel grimly. "Well, isn't she a--" then he remembered
Mamsie, and snapped his lips to.

"'A,'" exclaimed Tom, in smothered wrath, as he closed the door. "She
isn't 'a' at all, Joe. She's 'the.'"

"Well, do be still," cried Joel, putting on his best shoes nervously,
"or you'll have me saying something. And she's visiting here; and Mamsie
wouldn't like it. Don't, Tom," he begged.

"I won't," said Tom, with a monstrous effort, "but--oh dear me!" Then he
rushed into his own room and banged about, getting his best clothes out.

"Shut the door," roared Joel after him, "or you'll begin to fume, and I
can't stand it, Tom; it will set me off."

So Tom shut the door; and with all these precautions going on over the
house, all the family in due time appeared at dinner, prepared as best
they could be to bear the infliction of Mrs. Chatterton's return.

And after the conclusion of the meal, why, everybody tried to forget it
as much as possible, and give themselves up to the grand affair of the
evening.