weet, low, musical
tone,--

"Can you forgive me?"

"What have I to forgive, my dear young lady?" he said softly. "I was
thinking of asking your forgiveness for some unknown fault."

"I have behaved so ill to you to-day," she said, "the first of my new
friends! I was angry at your going out after our poor emus, and I was
cross to you when you came home. Do let us be friends again."

There was a chance for a reconciliation! But here was Cecil Mayford
thrusting between them with a lit candle just at the wrong moment; and
she gave him such a sweet smile, and such kind thanks, that Sam felt
nearly as miserable as ever.

And next morning everything went wrong again. Whether it was merely
coquetry, or whether she was angry at their hunting the emus, or
whether she for a time preferred Cecil's company, I know not; but she,
during the next week, neglected Sam altogether, and refused to sit
beside him, making a most tiresome show of being unable to get on
without Cecil Mayford, who squired her here, there, and everywhere, in
the most provoking fashion.

But it so happened that the Doctor and the Major sat up later than the
others that night, taking a glass of punch together before the fire,
and the Major said, abruptly,--

"There will be mischief among the young fellows about that girl. It is
a long while since I saw one man look at another as young Mayford did
at our Sam tonight. I wish she were out of the way. Sam and Mayford are
both desperately in love with her, and one must go to the wall. I wish
that boy of mine was keener; he stayed aloof from her all to-night."

"Don't you see his intention?" said the Doctor. "I am very much
mistaken if I do not. He is determined to leave the field clear for all
comers, unless she herself makes some sort of advances to him. 'If she
prefers Mayford,' says Sam to himself, 'in the way she appears to, why,
she is welcome to him, and I can go home as soon as I am assured of
it.' And go home he would, too, and never say one word of complaint to
any living soul."

"What a clear, brave, honest soul that lad has!" said the Major.

"Truly," said the Doctor, "I only know one man who is his equal."

"And who is he?"

"His father. Good night; good dreams!"

* * * * *

So Sam kept to his resolution of finding out whether or no Alice was
likely to prefer Cecil to him. And, for all his watching and puzzling,
he couldn't. He had never confided one word of all this to his mother,
and