ed for him
with a heart almost sick with expectation. As soon as the fly had
stopped at the little gate she heard his voice, and heard at once
that it was quick, joyful, and telling much of inward satisfaction.
He had a good-natured word for Janet, and called Thomas an old
blunder-head in a manner that made Bridget laugh outright.

"He'll have his nose put out of joint some day; won't he?" said the
doctor. Bridget blushed and laughed again, and made a sign to Thomas
that he had better look to his face.

Mary was in his arms before he was yet within the door. "My darling,"
said he, tenderly kissing her. "You are my own darling yet awhile."

"Of course I am. Am I not always to be so?"

"Well, well; let me have some tea, at any rate, for I'm in a fever of
thirst. They may call that tea at the Junction if they will; but if
China were sunk under the sea it would make no difference to them."

Dr Thorne always was in a fever of thirst when he got home from the
railway, and always made complaint as to the tea at the Junction.
Mary went about her usual work with almost more than her usual
alacrity, and so they were soon seated in the drawing-room together.

She soon found that his manner was more than ordinarily kind to her;
and there was moreover something about him which seemed to make him
sparkle with contentment, but he said no word about Frank, nor did he
make any allusion to the business which had taken him up to town.

"Have you got through all your work?" she said to him once.

"Yes, yes; I think all."

"And thoroughly?"

"Yes; thoroughly, I think. But I am very tired, and so are you too,
darling, with waiting for me."

"Oh, no, I am not," said she, as she went on continually filling his
cup; "but I am so happy to have you home again. You have been away so
much lately."

"Ah, yes; well I suppose I shall not go away any more now. It will be
somebody else's turn now."

"Uncle, I think you're going to take up writing mystery romances,
like Mrs Radcliffe's."

"Yes; and I'll begin to-morrow, certainly with-- But, Mary, I will
not say another word to-night. Give me a kiss, dearest, and I'll go."

Mary did kiss him, and he did go. But as she was still lingering in
the room, putting away a book, or a reel of thread, and then sitting
down to think what the morrow would bring forth, the doctor again
came into the room in his dressing-gown, and with the slippers on.

"What, not gone yet?" said he.

"No, not ye