ent which had distinguished her in the Bath assemblies of old.

"I hope the gig came to meet the coach, dear husband?" she said. "It
must have been a hot walk from Louth."

He put his arm round her, and kissed the mother first, and then the
little daughter, of whom he was so proud, saying:

"Yes; I left the gig at the corner; and walked across the field. How
delightful the country seems after London! and as to the boys, they seem
in rude health. Have you taken care of your mother, William and Alex?"

"Yes; and we have said our Latin verbs every day, and done our parsing
and spelling out of the grammars and dictionaries," said Will.

"I hate spelling," said Alex; "but I love sums."

"That's good. Your godfather was asking how you got on with that branch
of your education. Your godfather is a great man, boys; you may be proud
to feel he is your godfather."

"Was it very charming at Slough, Leslie?"

"It was, indeed; and wonderful! 'The sweeping of the sky' is a nightly
business; and the wife is as much devoted to it as the sister. You must
take the journey to London ere long, my dearest, and see for yourself.
The twenty-foot Newtonian telescope is a marvel; and there sits
Caroline, as of old, writing down calculations and observations. I went
to bed at one o'clock; but even on that night William Herschel had
discovered four or five new nebulae."

"And he is now quite a great man?"

"Great in everyone's eyes but his own. Royal favour has not turned his
head, nor Caroline's either. She has sent your boys a case of little
mathematical instruments, and she says you are to go to Slough next
visit I pay."

"And little Phyllis, too, father?"

"Yes, when she is old enough. So you have two happy people still here, I
see?"

"Yes. Brian got an extra week's holiday from the law office at Bristol;
and I knew you would not mind. Mother is so pleased to have him here."

At this moment Brian Bellis and Norah awoke to the fact that they were
not the only people in that flowery garden; and Nora, now a beautiful
girl of nineteen, leaving Brian's arm, came springing to her
brother-in-law, with a face flushed with welcome, to receive her
accustomed kiss.

Then from the low French window at the side of the house Mrs. Travers
appeared, and greeted her son with a tender welcome.

Mrs. Travers took the baby from her mother's arms, saying:

"She is too heavy for you, my dear; she grows such a great girl. Is not
Phyllis glad to