g under the old boat with his hands over his face. He had
evidently felt the sermon very much, and when he rose to go home after
the others had dispersed, I saw Mr. Christie walking by his side.

That was a lovely Sunday evening. The storm of the week before seemed to
have cleared the air, and there was a golden light over everything,
until the sun went down behind the hill. I spent the evening at Mrs.
Christie's, for Polly was still fully occupied with the child, and was
not able to attend to much of the work downstairs. Duncan did the
cooking now, and the washing up and the cleaning, and I never saw a more
handy man. He waited on me hand and foot, as if I was a lord; but I felt
that I was giving the dear fellow a great deal of trouble, and was glad,
therefore, to accept Mrs. Christie's invitation to have tea and supper
at their house.

Little Jack welcomed me with the greatest joy. He was so delighted to
have me at tea, and contemplated me with so much delight and interest
from his high chair by my side, that he quite forgot to eat his own tea,
and had to be recalled from his admiration of me, time after time, by
his mother. After tea he told her he had a great secret to confide to
her; he dragged her from the room and led her upstairs, and then with
closed doors, and in a whisper so low that she could scarcely
distinguish the words, he told her solemnly, 'I do love big Mr. Jack
very much,' which secret his faithless mother was treacherous enough to
reveal to me, after we had been upstairs that evening to see little Jack
in bed.

After we came down, Mrs. Christie lighted the lamp, and we were sitting
cosily round the fire talking of my mother, when suddenly there came a
knock at the outer door.

'Who can it be?' said Mrs. Christie hastily; 'some one must be ill, I
think, so few people come on Sunday.'

She was going to the door, but her little maid had already opened it,
and coming into the parlour she announced,--

'There's a gentleman, sir, at the door, says as how he wants Mr.
Villiers, sir.'

'A gentleman!' I repeated in astonishment, 'wanting me!'

'Yes, sir, he says he wants you very pertickler, he does.'

I went quickly to the door, wondering very much who could be there, and
to my great astonishment I found my friend Tom Bernard, with a black bag
in his hand, eagerly awaiting my approach.

'Found at last, old chap,' he cried when he saw me; 'why, I've been
hunting for you all over in this rabbit-wa